Jacqui Walshe Speaks at the Wellness Tourism Summit

In early September 2025, Jacqui Walshe, our CEO and Managing Director, presented at the Wellness Tourism Summit in Byron Bay on how Hawaii is championing regenerative tourism experiences wellness visitors will love. Through the philosophy of Aloha ʻĀina (love of the land) and initiatives like Malama (give back), Hawai‘i is reframing travel as a privilege which connects visitors with ancestral wisdom, culture, and care for the land and ocean. This resonates strongly with today’s wellness traveller.

One particularly interesting insight Jacqui took away from the Summit, was only 17% of wellness travellers book specifically for wellness, while a far more significant 83% add wellness elements to leisure or business trips. Australia is ranked 8th globally for wellness spend at $29B per annum, 83% of that spent domestically. With international wellness generating 36% more spend than the average traveller, there is real opportunity for both the domestic sector and international outbound.

The Wellness Tourism Summit is the creation of Katherine Droga. The event is designed to bring together global leaders in the wellness tourism space, along with operators and suppliers looking to grow their businesses or step into this industry.