Making a social impact while making profits from retreats.

The post-pandemic era has been favorable for the wellness industry. In 2020, the global wellness tourism market was valued at over 700 billion US dollars, with an annual growth rate of 7.2%. This growth reflects the global interest in investing in well-being. We also saw an exponential increase in retreats worldwide. Countries like Indonesia, India, Thailand, and Vietnam benefitted immensely from their warm climates, tropical weather, and indigenous wellness tools. Retreats became big business, prompting the age-old question: "Am I making a difference in this business?"

As a wellness market specialist, this is a question I have pondered over the years of hosting my retreats and planning them for others. The answer isn't black and white, but I found gold in the gray.

My Experience

When I first started, like most retreat hosts, I solely focused on providing yoga, breathwork, and co-create retreats. My thinking was that if we’re helping participants heal, that should be enough, right? However, I noticed a disparity between the wellness practices for the traveler community and the local community, who often struggle without support. Being born and raised in Sri Lanka, it was jarring to realize that the type of wellness I practiced was for a privileged few.

So, I began integrating the community into my offerings: free classes, spots at retreats, organized community counseling sessions, and support circles to bring wellness to my community. Despite my efforts, these initiatives had limited success, leaving me with little income and burnout.

Then, I did the hardest thing: I parked my ego and stepped into the local community to understand what wellness means to them. I learned that wellness goes beyond the tools offered at a retreat. Wellness is a birthright—everyone should have safety, security, access to education, and systematic tools to create a happy life. Despite Sri Lanka's idyllic appearance, we still struggle to provide these essentials to communities. This realization led me to combine my decade of tourism training with wellness.

I didn’t want to struggle to help my community because, as the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. So, I started filling my cup by creating community-centric retreats.

Community-Centric Retreats

If you've scrolled through Mindful Retreats (and if you haven’t, please do—we are awesome), you know we emphasize community-centric retreats. This means integrating the local community into our retreats beyond the services they provide as jobs. If you’ve hosted or attended a retreat in a developing country, you’ve likely met locals who work where you stay and serve meals at cafes. Community-centric retreats aim to do more than support their livelihood; they address the community's needs.

A Guide to Hosting Profitable Community-Centric Retreats

Know Your Why: Start by asking yourself, "Why do I want to host this retreat in this country?" For example, in Sri Lanka, clients often come for the beaches, friendly people, and cuisine. We discuss the good and the bad about these elements.

Focus on Both the Good and the Bad: The wellness industry often gets criticized for being only about “love and light.” Avoid spiritual bypassing by holding space for the bad—the good can only be appreciated if we understand the bad. For instance, Sri Lanka has beautiful beaches but also suffers from improper waste management, harming our coastline and marine life. Or how Sri Lanka has mouthwatering produce but uses a lot of pesticides.

Look into Solutions—or People Offering Solutions: Collaborate with organizations already doing community work. Mindful Retreats works with fishing and farmer collectives, ethical wildlife platforms, and skill-building organizations. Collaborating with people and organizations uplifting communities and sharing your unique skills to bring wealth to those dependent on wellness tourism is a great way to run community-centric retreats.

Look at Your Bottom Line: Know your worth and plan for your bottom line. Research how much you can make from running a retreat, account for minimum occupancies, and have contingency strategies (discounts, offers). Knowing your bottom line helps you understand profits and how much you can allocate for community-centric experiences.

Promote Your Impact: There’s no shame in promoting the impact you’re making through retreats. Avoid social-washing (big claims of a social impact with little to no work). But do promote the real impact your retreat made in the community. When you plan to include the community intentionally, you get to know their stories, struggles, what wellness means to them, and how your retreats contribute to their well-being. Promoting real impact helps others see the potential retreats have in transforming lives, not just for participants but for everyone involved.

Wellness retreats are growing because people worldwide are prioritizing mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. We live in an overstimulated time with social media and too many choices, leaving little time to cultivate connections. Community-centric wellness retreats can change this by connecting different cultures, addressing struggles together, and healing together. It's a way of honoring the land and people who make memorable retreats possible for thousands worldwide.

Retreat hosts can facilitate this connection by focusing on including community activities in retreats—creating a movement among hosts who make a living by creating wealth for everyone.

If you are a retreat host, contact Mindful Retreats for a free consultation call.

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