Phoenix and Scottsdale: Hotspots for Wellness Travel

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that being healthy in mind and body is critical. The appeal of wellness travel, which has been referred to as a “paradigm shift” in traveler preferences, has been on the rise for close to a decade, with the pandemic expected to further accelerate traveler interest. As a travel professional, this is an area you will want to explore. 

To help you immerse yourself in this niche, we encourage you to enroll in our newly launched Wellness Travel Specialist Course, which is unlike any in the industry today in its coverage of the wellness travel specialty and market. Along with understanding the wellness travel market, it is vital to educate yourself on wellness travel destinations. One of the most popular destinations for wellness-minded travelers in the United States is Arizona. 

As always, keep in mind the varying reopening dates, operating hours, and availability of attractions and accommodations and consult sources like Arizona’s Department of Health Services and the U.S. State Department before booking your clients.

A popular hotspot pre-Covid was Arizona because of its natural beauty and world-renowned wellness-focused facilities, particularly in Phoenix and Scottsdale. That interest is bound to increase as your clients seek healthy vacations close to home, so you should ramp up your knowledge of these cities.

Phoenix sprawls across one of the region’s saucer-shaped valleys, radiating outward from the life-giving Salt River. Clean, dry air was among the drawing cards that lured people to Phoenix and turned it into a capital of high-tech industry in the 1980s. 

Phoenix—along with its sprawling suburbs—is Arizona’s capital and a resort and retirement habitat. Although it gets its share of summer visitors, May to September is low season. During that time, average high temperatures are in the 100s. Temperatures during the other months are ideal: pleasant during the day, and cool and comfortable in the evening. Humidity is low, and the sun (almost) always shines.

Phoenix sprawls across one of the region’s saucer-shaped valleys, radiating outward from the life-giving Salt River. Clean, dry air was among the drawing cards that lured people to Phoenix and turned it into a capital of high-tech industry in the 1980s. 

Phoenix—along with its sprawling suburbs—is Arizona’s capital and a resort and retirement habitat. Although it gets its share of summer visitors, May to September is low season. During that time, average high temperatures are in the 100s. Temperatures during the other months are ideal: pleasant during the day, and cool and comfortable in the evening. Humidity is low, and the sun (almost) always shines.

Phoenix has a flat desert setting, broken by an occasional mesa. Mountains overlook the Valley of the Sun. Most visitors come here either to spend the winter or to enjoy a week or two at the resorts to pursue golf, tennis, riding, a healthy lifestyle, wellness-focused treatments…and the sun.

Suburbs such as Glendale, Avondale, and Sun City (a huge retirement center) extend to the west. The eastern suburbs of Scottsdale, Tempe, and Mesa lead to the Superstition Mountains. Camelback Mountain in the northeast is the valley’s distinctive landmark. 

Sights in the Phoenix area include Phoenix Art Museum, Heard Museum, and Echo Canyon. The Phoenix Mountain Preserve and Recreation Area is a group of parks located among the mountains. The parks include Piestewa Peak, Camelback Mountain, Papago Park, Lookout Mountain Preserve, North Mountain and Shaw Butte Preserves, and Sonoran Preserve. South Mountain Park is sometimes included in the group. 

Art galleries, resorts, golf courses, mega-resorts, and guest ranches are located in fashionable Scottsdale and other suburbs. The Phoenix suburb is home to more than 70 resorts and hotels, with its hospitality market catering to a high-end demographic. The Shea Corridor is a region of Scottsdale that was built during the 1970s. A large portion of Scottsdale Road in the Corridor is dubbed the Resort Corridor for the number of resorts located there. The city is third, after New York City and Las Vegas, as having the most AAA Five-Diamond resorts and hotels. The Mayo Clinic has one of its three major branches in Scottsdale.

A magnetic tourist sight is Taliesin West, the winter headquarters of Frank Lloyd Wright’s foundation for training architects. Nearby is the Arcosanti Foundation, a series of buildings created by Paolo Soleri, one of Wright’s apprentices..

The city is spring training home of the San Francisco Giants. Widely known as a premier golfing destination, Scottsdale has more than 200 courses. This beautiful state has many activities such as tennis, hiking, rock climbing, and other outdoor ventures which will allow your clients to take in nature to improve their mental state and body-and-soul wellbeing.

If you need more information on destinations or niche markets, explore our Premium Access library.