How the new guidelines can assist wellness-focused planners
As organizations continue to seek new ways to support employee well-being and strengthen workplace culture, corporate retreats are becoming an increasingly popular complement to traditional meetings and incentives. Many employers are investing in immersive experiences designed to reduce burnout, foster connection and cultivate long-term personal and professional benefits.
The growing interest has fueled rapid expansion across the retreat industry. According to a report by Allied Market Research, the global wellness retreat market is projected to reach $369.9 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.4%.
Read More: $1.3 Trillion: Business Events Economic Impact
However, as more facilitators, destinations and wellness providers enter an increasingly saturated market, meeting professionals face a new challenge.
How can planners ensure they are working with ethical, trusted facilitators for a wellness retreat? Enter the Wellness Tourism Association (WTA), which recently introduced its Six Principles for Responsible Retreats. The principles provide a framework designed to establish common standards for facilitator-led retreat experiences.
While created with the retreat industry in mind, the guidelines also provide meeting planners with a practical framework for evaluating wellness-focused programs and selecting partners that prioritize participant well-being.
Smart Meetings spoke with Robin Ruiz, CEO of the WTA, about how the principles were developed, what defines a responsible retreat and how planners can apply the framework when selecting venues and facilitators.
Establishing a Common Standard
The Six Principles for Responsible Retreats were built through collaboration between several stakeholders. The framework first emerged through the Wellness Tourism Association Retreat Committee.
Committee members drew on expertise ranging from retreat leadership, wellness tourism and participant experience to identify operational practices that consistently build trust.
“One of the biggest insights throughout the process was that while retreats may look very different—from a personal growth experience to a wellness immersion, transformational journey or organization-led retreat experience—the elements that create trust and professionalism are remarkably consistent,” Ruiz says.
Rather than using the framework to prescribe identical programming, the principles establish broad benchmarks that can apply across many retreat models—preserving the individuality that makes each experience unique.
For planners, that flexibility is crucial. A leadership retreat for executives, a company-wide wellness incentive and a sales team planning session may vary, but each stands to benefit from thoughtful facilitation, participant care and clearly defined expectations.
Defining a Responsible Retreat
According to Ruiz, one of the framework’s primary goals is to create greater clarity about what constitutes a professional retreat.
Unlike a traditional meeting, a retreat experience often involves multiple stakeholders. A facilitator or wellness practitioner may design the experience, while a resort, destination or retreat center provides the venue or operational support. That collaborative model allows for flexibility—but also makes it more difficult to maintain consistent expectations.
“The Six Principles for Responsible Retreats establish shared industry benchmarks focused on the foundational elements of responsible retreat experiences,” Ruiz explains. “The principles provide a common reference point that helps those designing, delivering, hosting, recommending and participating in retreats better understand what responsible practices look like.”
The initiative also narrows the definition of the word “retreat” itself. Rather than applying broadly to any off-site gathering, the principles specifically focus on facilitator-led, immersive experiences focused on participant well-being.
“Ultimately, it’s about creating better experiences and outcomes for participants, and experiences where people feel supported, respected and cared for throughout their journey,” Ruiz says.
A New Lens for Venue Sourcing
For meeting planners, the framework can function as a sourcing tool. As wellness programming becomes more common in meetings and incentives, planners are increasingly evaluating not only the venue but also the people responsible for delivering the experience.
Ruiz recommends that planners ask prospective host properties questions such as:
- Does the retreat leader, facilitator or program provider have the appropriate qualifications, experience and approach for the intended audience?
- Does the retreat provider have appropriate practices in place to ensure participant safety and well-being for the type of experience being offered?
- How does the venue or destination support the retreat experience through its environment, operations, amenities and connection to place?
- Does the experience demonstrate respect for local communities, cultures and the environment?
These inquiries expand well beyond traditional RFP considerations and ensure a high-quality experience for participants.
“A beautiful setting is certainly an important component of a retreat,” Ruiz says. “But the venue alone does not create a meaningful retreat experience. The leadership, intentional design, facilitation and alignment between all partners are what ultimately shape the participant experience.”
The Importance of Psychological Safety
Meeting planners are no strangers to the complex concepts of risk management, emergency procedures and duty of care. Increasingly, however, psychological safety is becoming just as essential, and Ruiz believes that this effort begins long before participants arrive on site.
For corporate groups, this means selecting facilitators and hospitality partners experienced in designing wellness-centered programs for business audiences—not simply adapting consumer wellness offerings that are ill-fitted to a professional demographic.
Factors such as clear communication before arrival, intentional program design, appropriate safety protocols and a thorough understanding of participant needs all contribute to successful outcomes.
Read More: Experience Is the New ROI
Equally important is creating an environment where employees feel comfortable participating at their own pace—and without pressure from facilitators or leaders.
“Psychological safety is essential,” Ruiz says. “Participants should feel comfortable engaging at their own pace, understand expectations and boundaries, and feel that their individual needs and experiences are respected.”
That philosophy aligns closely with broader workplace conversations around inclusion, belonging and employee well-being. Wellness experiences need to account for participant comfort level, physical ability and interest in engagement.
“The most successful retreat providers recognize that well-being is not just about the activities included in the program—it’s about how the entire experience is designed, facilitated and held,” Ruiz adds.
Expanding the Purpose of Meetings
For many organizations, retreats are no longer viewed as alternatives to meetings but as add-on experiences that serve different business objectives.
While traditional off sites remain valuable for strategic planning, retreats introduce another layer by intentionally creating space for reflection, relationship-building and renewal.
“I think the biggest difference is the intention behind the experience and the outcome organizations are hoping to create, and whether well-being is at the heart of the event,” Ruiz says. “As organizations continue to recognize the importance of well-being, there is a shift away from viewing wellness as simply an activity added onto an event.”
Instead, through sourcing of aligned partners, Ruiz says there is an opportunity to consider well-being throughout the entire experience, from the program’s location and pace to the environment, food and facilitation.
This holistic approach reflects a broader shift in the meetings and events landscape, where attendee experience has become just as important as an event’s educational outcomes.
Read More: Survey: In-Person Events Win Big, But Most Meeting Profs Still Can’t Prove It
The Six Principles for Responsible retreats offer more than guidance for wellness providers—they provide a helpful framework for planners to ask more informed questions and ensure retreat experiences deliver on both organizational objectives and participant well-being.
As Ruiz summarizes, the goal of retreat offerings is to create experiences where people “do not simply attend an event, but leave feeling transformed, inspired and rejuvenated by it.”
