What Is Sleep Tourism?
Sleep tourism is the opposite of the idea that traveling means compromising on your sleep. Jet lag, late nights and maximising your awake time on holiday are all things we commonly accept as part and parcel of vacationing, but this is starting to change. We can’t attribute every recent societal shift to the pandemic, but it definitely forced a lot of us to slow down. Working from home meant longer lie ins, and the benefit of more sleep was obvious to everyone who took advantage of the slower pace of life.
Sleep tourism extends this idea into the travel industry, and it comes in a few different forms. Some hotel chains offer pillow menus and blackout blinds to provide rest to travellers after long flights, while massages, recorded meditations and relaxing toiletries are also part of the package. Some upmarket hotels even have a bath menu where someone will come and run you the perfect relaxing bath, complete with candles and refreshments.
Another aspect of sleep tourism is short breaks that are actively designed to help you get more rest. It runs counter to the idea that you ought to spend all your holiday time sightseeing and ticking off activities, and promotes the idea that a holiday ought to be recharging – there is value in resting.
Glamping is the perfect sort of holiday for sleep tourism. Being immersed in nature helps us ground and connect to the earth by exposing us to phytochemicals that help regulate our immune system, mood and general wellbeing, and to the sunlight. Sunlight exposure (even in the winter) not only helps us produce vitamin D, it also helps align our circadian rhythm to our natural baseline. If we’ve been burning the candle at both ends, being in nature can help shift our sleep patterns back to a more sustainable cycle.
Natural sites are also perfect for offering guided, or self guided forest bathing sessions. This is where visitors go much more deeply into the natural experience than simply taking a walk through the woods. Forest bathing makes people slow down and mindfully connect with their immediate surroundings. This promotes a sense of connection to the wider natural world that is grounding, calming, and most definitely promotes a good night’s sleep. Glampsites can provide books and guides to forest bathing, or as a visitor you can take your own guide and even a blanket to lie on.
Eye masks, lavender oil, relaxing bedtime teas and bubble baths (for an outdoor or indoor bath) are also ideal things to add to a glamping holiday to promote excellent sleep and attract sleep tourists. Yoga, meditation, body scans and other relaxing pursuits can also be offered, if that’s something the glampsite has access to in terms of providing classes. All these activities can be done with self-direction too, so having yoga sequence cards or guides available in the accommodation as well as body scans that can be read out, or meditation cues, allows guests to pick and choose their favourite sleep-promoting activity.
Whether you’re a glampsite owner looking to add something new for 2023 or a glamper wanting to experience true relaxation and a restored mind and body post-holiday, sleep tourism is the glamping trend to follow right now.
