Three ways to give incentive trips a healthy makeover

By Anne Dimon

Incentive travellers are increasingly insisting on healthy options—and what employer doesn't want a healthy employee? Here’s a look at three approaches for rolling wellness into your next program.

BE SINGLE MINDED
By their very nature, wellness vacations tend to be very personal so they can eas­ily be the perfect match for the solo incentive. A customized weight loss retreat or a personal­ized walking or cycling excursion to a beautiful destination, are two examples. Toronto-based Butterfield & Robinson is one upscale active-tour operator that has seen a recent surge in demand for self-guided, locally-supported programs. Another company seeing demand in incentive-level, solo travel is Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. A wellness leader on the river cruise scene, Uniworld has recently announced that the company will waive/reduce the single supplement fee on 30 of its most popular itineraries.

LOOK FOR ELEVATED ON-SITE OPTIONS
Resorts are introducing a variety of new and different activities available for team­building and other corporate retreats. Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, TX, for instance, recently launched over 30 new water and land-based activities in a program called The Ripple Effect. Capitalizing on scientifi­cally-documented effects of water on one’s sense of well-being, activities include kayak­ing relays and scavenger hunts, paddle and hike combos and hydro biking. The resort also offers land activities such as custom­ized team hikes, meditation walks and boot camps.

GO ALL IN
One of the first comprehensive wellness retreats to strategically cater to the corporate end of the market, The Ranch Malibu has extended its popular The Ranch 4.0 program with the newly launched three- to seven-day program for meetings and incentive groups. The host hotel is the Four Seasons Westlake, California, and the pro-gram—totally customizable for groups from six to 200 people—is in partnership with the California Health & Longevity Institute. On the tour scene, New Jersey-based Perillo Tours recently launched a program geared to women executives with the focus on stress management, yoga, meditation, healthy cooking and other lifestyle options. Destinations include India, Italy, Malta, Bali, Peru and Costa Rica.