A Good Night’s Rest: Why more people are waking up to sleep tourism in 2023

When we think of holidays, we think of adventure, we think of the mesmerising sights, we think of the food to be consumed, of the nightlife to enjoy. Very rarely do people associate travel and sleeping together. However, it’s 2023 and this notion of sleep and holiday are coming together in a whole different way — sleep tourism!

Think of a holiday where the primary focus is your sleep; everything from the place you stay at to the activities are centred on your ability to get a good night’s rest. This new holidaying style is called sleep tourism and before you yawn, know that it is this year’s travel trend.

We get you the lowdown on this new trend, why it’s important and why a sleep holiday may be just the thing that you needed.

Sleep tourism, explained

In the simplest way, sleep tourism is all about travel experiences specifically designed to improve one’s quality of sleep. Think of rooms in hotels specifically designed to block out all the outside noise and recorded sleep meditations available to listen to as you doze off.

Mallikarjun Reddy, executive housekeeper at The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi explained sleep tourism the best. He said that it is when hotels go the extra mile — use sleep-enhancing amenities and install innovative soundproofing systems to create an environment that will enable customers to catch up on their ‘Zzzzs’.

Sleep tourism differs from other forms of tourism in its focus on rest and rejuvenation rather than exploring a destination or trying new things. However, it can also be combined with other types of travel — for example, a vacation to a historic city could include a visit to a luxury hotel known for its exceptional sleeping experience.

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According to experts, it is a branch of wellness tourism, as people are looking for new ways to get away from their hectic schedules and improve their sleeping habits. And many sleep-focused properties are also now popping up to fulfil this demand.

And several hotels are now waking up to this trend. In January 2022, New York City’s Park Hyatt introduced the Bryte Restorative Sleep Suite, new 900-square-feet rooms dedicated to rest. The Bryte mattresses are the hallmark of them — each one has 90 intelligent cushions that sense, adjust to, and relieve the body’s pressure points. The mattress also controls the climate, tracks and provides sleep statistics and insights that can be accessed on your phone, and is able to respond to the unique needs of couples.

There’s also the Cadogan, a Belmond Hotel in London, which boasts of a “sleep concierge”, a service that includes a sleep-inducing meditation recording, a pillow menu with different options depending on whether you sleep on your back or side, the option of a weighted blanket, a bedtime tea, and a scented pillow mist.

Apart from the Cadogan, London also has Zedwell, the first sleep-centric hotel in the city, which features rooms equipped with innovative soundproofing.

Mandarin Oriental, Geneva has, in fact, gone one step further and conducts sleep programs for their guests. They have teamed up with CENAS, a private medical sleeping clinic in Switzerland, to curate a three-day program that studies guests’ sleeping patterns in order to identify potential sleeping problems.

In Portugal, there’s Hastens, which is offering ‘superlative sleep’ in their intimate Sleep Spa.

A trend to stay in 2023

Many industry experts note that sleep tourism will only flourish further in this year. Dr Rebecca Robbins, a sleep researcher and co-author of the book Sleep for Success!, told CNN that this change was long time coming.

“People often associate travel with decadent meals, extending their bed times, the attractions and the things you do while you’re travelling, really almost at the cost of sleep,” she said, adding, “Now, I think there’s just been a huge seismic shift in our collective awareness and prioritisation on wellness and wellbeing.”

Moreover, the coronavirus pandemic has also played a role in people waking up to sleep tourism. The COVID-19 pandemic changed sleeping patterns and owing to the higher stress levels, people found it more difficult to sleep. In fact, a study published in the journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine revealed that 40 per cent of the 2,500 adults who took part, said that they had reduced sleep since the start of the pandemic.

In fact, since the beginning of the pandemic there have been several studies and reports stating how people are losing sleep. “During the pandemic, all of our natural cycles changed. We started seeing more cases of mental health issues, depression, and anxiety. And with all of this, sleep patterns changed too,” Viceroy Los Cabos Spa and Wellness Director Vanessa Infante told Coveteur of the sleep tourism trend . “Now that we are coming back to normal life, people are looking for experiences that help them resolve their sleeping patterns, eat healthier, and exercise.”

People are also moving away from the rat-race culture and are opting to wind down and just relax.

Martin Seeley, a sleep expert and CEO at MattressNextDay told TravelDailyMedia.com, “Sleep tourism may sound like a tall order, but there is some solid science behind it. Sleep plays an important role in brain function and overall health, and many people aren’t getting enough of it.”

“Whilst the reasons why people seek out sleep treatment vary from person to person, there are some common themes. For example, many people have trouble falling asleep at night because their minds are racing with thoughts about work or life in general. Others have trouble staying asleep due to stress or anxiety about what tomorrow may bring. Some have even been diagnosed with insomnia by their doctor and told that they need help sleeping better in order to function properly during the day.”

Sleep becoming a nightmare

Sleep tourism is also catching on among many people owing to the widespread issue of sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation is a worldwide issue with people across the globe reporting fewer hours of sleep and that is wreaking havoc on their physical as well as mental being. Lack of sleep can cause a wide range of health problems, including obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

Sleep also improves our mental well-being; it helps one to relax and de-stress and can improve one’s mood. All in all, sleep is essential to everyone and hence, it is no surprise that sleep tourism is becoming more popular among the people.

So, here’s to 2023 combining our love for travel and our need for sleep.

With inputs from agencies

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