A group of Collier County, Florida, tourism professionals has founded the Wellness Tourism Visionary Task Force to develop strategies establishing Florida’s Paradise Coast – Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades – as a wellness destination and to capitalize on the growing wellness tourism industry. The group was founded by Debi DeBenedetto and Peggy Sealfon, a Naples-based speaker, author and personal development coach.
The group’s founding coincides with the area's recent number-one ranking for Healthiest-Happiest community in the Gallup-Sharecare State of American Well-Being 2017 Community Well-Being Rankings, the third year in a row the Naples metropolitan area has earned the top national spot.
The task force, supported by marketing strategies developed by the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau, is establishing a network of wellness providers in Collier County to attract wellness travelers from around the world. At present, the network is represented online as part of the tourism destination website at ParadiseCoast.com/Wellness. The group’s effort is to gather more wellness offerings, events and initiatives from hotels, restaurants, attractions, sports and spa facilities, activity and tour providers, and holistic facilities under one online umbrella as a resource for wellness travelers.
Wellness tourism is a growing trend projected to grow from a $573 billion world market in 2015 to $808 billion by 2020. It is defined as travel that “allows the traveler to maintain, enhance or kick-start a healthy lifestyle and support or increase one's sense of well-being,” according to the Wellness Tourism Association.
Florida's Paradise Coast is a wellness destination presenting a range of adventure and lifestyle experiences with hundreds of activities and services designed to boost well-being. The destination is focused on wellness with activities such as fitness programs; nature and wildlife sanctuaries; beach walks and activities; urban and rural nature trails for walking, running or biking; spa resorts; educational experiences and workshops, and centers of health and serenity. In addition, Southwest Florida is engaged in the Blue Zones Project, a community-wide well-being improvement initiative to help make healthy choices easier for everyone.
For more information, visit www.paradisecoast.com.
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