Synergy – The Retreat Show has launched its first global research initiative, aiming to build a clearer, data-led picture of the retreat sector at a time when wellness travel is one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry.
The study will draw on two distinct groups: professionals working across the retreat and wellness travel ecosystem – from retreat leaders and hotel general managers to travel advisors and wellness practitioners – and consumers, including both seasoned retreat guests and people who have never attended one.
Since launching in 2022, Synergy – The Retreat Show has become a global trade event that brings together leaders from wellness hospitality, retreat creation, travel design and wellbeing destinations.
Its latest initiative will result in the publication of The Global Retreat Report and comes as the wider wellness tourism market continues its rapid expansion.
The global wellness tourism market was estimated at $990 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $2.4 trillion by 2035, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9.3%. Within that, the retreat market specifically is forecast to grow from $273 billion this year to nearly $400 billion by 2030, according to Technavio.
Despite that momentum, Synergy’s organisers say dedicated research into the retreat segment specifically remains sparse, a gap it now aims to address.
Synergy's latest initiative will result in the publication of The Global Retreat Report
“The retreat sector is evolving incredibly quickly and becoming an increasingly important part of the wider wellness travel landscape, yet there is still very little dedicated data helping us understand the people driving that growth or the consumers it ultimately serves,” said Laura Montesanti, founder of Synergy – The Retreat Show.
“By introducing this research, we are listening to both the industry and consumers –including those who have never attended a retreat – and can begin to build a clearer picture of what people are truly seeking, where the barriers lie and how retreats, and wellness travel more broadly can evolve more responsibly and intentionally.”
On the industry side, the research will explore changing demand patterns, commercial and operational challenges, emerging retreat categories and the evolving channels through which retreats are discovered and sold – an area of increasing relevance for travel advisors as the sector matures.
“We have seen in recent years how fast the retreat sector is growing – both from the demand perspective as travellers look for a more enriching way to spend their time, and how travel advisors are seeing the role they can play in this space,” said April Hutchinson, Head of Luxury, TTG Media, a media partner of Synergy – The Retreat Show.
“Travel advisors have the power to be a guiding force that helps here, using their own expertise to connect retreat leaders and their communities with the right hotel and destination, and taking care of their travel plans, while also developing themselves in the wellbeing space.”
“I’d urge anyone with an interest in the retreat travel and wellness tourism to get involved with this important research and play a part in growing a knowledge base that can help steer the future direction of the sector,” she added.
Synergy – The Retreat Show 2026 takes place in Istria, Croatia from 29 September to 2 October. The inaugural findings of The Global Retreat Report will be presented during the show, ahead of full publication.
The survey is open now and runs until 7 August 2026, with participants eligible to win one of three wellness travel experiences provided by Synergy’s industry partners.
These include seven nights for two at Surf Synergy in Costa Rica combining surfing, yoga, breathwork and nature on the Pacific Coast; three nights for two at the adults-only Minos Palace Resort in Crete, with meals and a taste of Mediterranean wellbeing; or two nights for two at Equinox Hotel New York, including a spa treatment in the heart of Manhattan.
