With our world-class hiking trails, sprawling coastlines and exceptional fresh produce, living in Australia can make being well feel relatively easy. But according to new data, locals aren’t the only people finding health and vitality in this sun-soaked country – Australia has just been crowned the world’s most desirable wellness tourism destination in the Global Wellness Institute’s (GWI) 2025 Wellness Survey, beating out New Zealand, Bali, Japan and the South Pacific for the top spot.
If you ask us, the results are unsurprising. From alpine thermal springs to saltwater ocean pools, and hiking trails curling through magical forests, Australia feels purpose-built to help holidaying humans feel good (aside from the scary animals, obvs). According to the GWI’s most recent survey, 56 per cent of Australian adults plan to take a wellness-focused holiday in the next year.
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If there’s one feature that defines Australia’s wellness wave right now, it’s water. Bathing rituals – wild swimming, bathhouses, ice plunges and thermal springs – topped the trend list, with 54 per cent of respondents saying they’re keen to dip their toes (and more) into Australia’s natural and manmade aquatic attractions. Nature-based wellness experiences and wellness apps are also on the rise, with newer frontiers like animal-assisted therapy, sleep optimisation and gut health gaining traction.
Despite the growing obsession with wellness, the data paints a less-than-glowing picture of how we’re actually doing. Australians’ overall wellbeing score (which takes in everything from diet to sleep quality) has dipped to 6.5 out of ten – down from 6.7 in 2022 – with the lowest scores in financial and sleep wellbeing (both 5.9). One in four Australians hasn’t taken a three-day holiday in more than a year, and 12 per cent say it’s been two whole years since their last proper break.
“Balance is slipping for Australians – financially, physically and emotionally,” says Katherine Droga, Chair of the Global Wellness Institute’s Wellness Tourism Initiative. “Annual leave stockpiling is leaving people exhausted and disconnected. Too many people are postponing their rest, when in reality shorter, more frequent breaks are proven to have a greater positive impact on wellbeing.”
In other words: take the damn holiday.
So whether you’re chasing awe-inspiring hikes up epic mountains or just a few nights away from your screens, there’s never been a better time (or place) to prioritise your wellbeing – no passport required. Because as the numbers (and our collective burnout) show, Australia isn’t just the world’s best wellness destination – it’s the one we need most.