We Retreat's Founder sat down with industry stalwart and champion Rebecca Ingram to discuss why Wellness Tourism is right at home here in Aotearoa....from both a personal and professional perspective.....

 

Can you tell us your story Rebecca...

R: I have been the Chief Executive of TIA for almost three years.

I'm a marketer by trade, and completed a marketing and psychology degree at the University of Canterbury which lead me into all sorts of interesting places from brand and brand experience to PR and media activity.

I landed very happily at Tourism New Zealand ten years ago, and through that got into the tourism industry. Which led me to my current role at TIA

I'm a mum of two gorgeous boys, Jack and Freddie, who are five and seven, and I’ve got a totally fabulous husband, Simon. We live in Wellington and it’s my favorite place. It’s the place that fills up my heart and I just have a very strong connection to the harbour. It’s my happy place.

Were you born in Wellington?

R: I was actually born in Christchurch.

Well, it’s nice to hear that you’re from Otautahi originally.

N: I'm from the UK originally, but Lyttleton Whakaraupo and the Banks Peninsula is where I feel like I am connected to here.

R: Amazing, isn’t it, that you can find these places that just sing to you, right?

 

Wellness is a very individual and personal experience, so if we were to ask you what does wellness mean to you, what would you say?

R; Well, I think you’re absolutely right. Wellness is a very personal thing and it’s about what recharges you in some degree.

I find it quite challenging the way wellness has become…. this idea that you’ve got to do all of these things to be well and if you're not you're failing. Whereas for me, Wellness is about recharge time. So that most often looks like being at home.

I get a lot of energy just from being at home, being around my family. When I feel myself needing a release I always go for a walk. Going for a walk is the most helpful thing I can do for myself.

And it’s also about investing in things that are joyful

 

Do you have your own well-being routine?

R; I know when I need to create connection with my family or with my friends. And I know when I need to be making some delicious food and having people over. And so for me there’s a very strong sense of home and my wellbeing

N: I love that...you know the words that you talk about are exactly what the foundation of what we are grounded in as a company. Through our wellness experiences, connection to self, connection to others and connection to nature. And it aligns so well with what is available here in New Zealand, There's space to nourish yourself mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally and socially. As we say, its personal and comes down to what works best for you.

 

Have you ever experienced a retreat?

R; No, I haven't, I’ve looked into it and I’ve got a friend who does regularly.

Ok, and what was your barrier?

R; Well, it's probably two things...time and it's, as i said for me energy comes from being at home. I'm an introvert, actually, which is often a surprise for people given that i travel a lot for work. I spend a lot of time speaking publicly or engaging with large groups of people. The task of being at home and standing still is really what I need.

 

Would you consider a wellness experience while on your next holiday?

Quite possibly. And I also think about when I have been traveling overseas, the times that I’ve got the most joy from are the times when I've been connecting with the environment in some way, like my favorite part of New York was when we were lying in Central Park eating cherries, those sort's of moments you take which are just calm and reflective.

N; Yes. I like to call these times micro moments. A snapshot in time where you’re totally present and pause in it. These are the moments we want We Retreat to deliver for people.

R: I think…this is maybe a stage of life thing for us as well. We've got two young kids and there's only so much time that they're going to want to be with us before they grow up and want to do all their own things. So we think a lot about holidays in the context of them and the experiences that we want to shape and have as a family.

 

What are your thoughts on New Zealand as a wellness tourism destination?

R; I think New Zealand is so naturally positioned for Wellness tourism. We have a really natural advantage here and it’s not just because our landscapes are beautiful and there is such a strong connection between being grounded...having your feet on the earth. I was reading something recently that talked about the significant restorative benefits of spending 15 minutes in a forest.  We live quite close to  Mount Kaukau. If I add 15 minutes amongst the trees, it makes a huge difference. It just changes how I feel.

I also think in New Zealand the idea of holistic well-being is so central to us It's not just about the beauty of our place, but it's also about our attitudes to well-being. The connections we value with place and people.

It's a place that feels like a very natural home for a conversation around well-being and well-being visitation.

N: We really champion that alignment between connection with ourself, people and place. Our foundation lies in connecting to ourselves, connection with others and connecting to nature (whenua). New Zealand is a world class destination who's landscape and hospitality elevate both of these elements. For us we are excited about the opportunity to help fund our charitable trust with our wellness bookings so that our communities can also benefit around us.

 

Can you highlight particular areas of focus the TIA have that support Wellness Tourism?

Yes, TIA is a Business Association, so we're here to represent our members. We’ve also done a recent paper around visitor experience in a changing world which talks about authenticity and transformative experiences.

What future visitors are looking for in terms of a closeness between their experience, and what’s real and authentic, about the place that they're visiting.

The aspiration and strategy is that we provide timeless experiences to visitors that differentiate New Zealand in the minds of those visitors.

To me, that's about understanding our visitors, what it is that they're looking for, and how we can uniquely meet them with what they're looking for, but also add a a specific New Zealand flair to it.

N:  I hear you. When product developing for We retreat we innately focus on the authentic and unique aspects of each experience. How we tailor that to its place, it's people and our values. For instance for our Heli Yoga we have worked with a local medical herbalist to produce a range of native New Zealand blended organic tea....like what i have here while we speak (shows the blue Mindful Moana tea). It's all these little touch points to sizzle the senses such as carefully curated music and sounds that you'll listen to in the helicopter and the pounamu  (native greenstone) you'll hold as part of the grounding experience once on the mountain to connect and tell the stories of our surrounding whenua, along with using a local Hurunui farm for our sustainable wool yoga mats.

We can send guests away with some tea, but also the music you listen to so that you can be back in your office in Berlin, Cape Town or New York, put on your headphones, sip your tea back on and be back here on that mountain with us in New Zealand. A little micro moment that will never leave you!

R: So, it's not just about wellness or just about adventure...it's about understanding what makes us unique and special and trying to create the sorts of experiences that are both timeless and memorable and authentic. And that will turn up as visitors being blown away.

 

Are you confident in both the domestic and international markets seeking wellness tourism experiences?

I think sustainability and well-being just go hand in hand. It's about really understanding what already makes us unique and special. And then serving it up to visitors, who are already coming to New Zealand because they’re seeking something in nature. They're seeking, a connection to the environment.

 

Ok fun question....If you close your eyes and dreamed up Rebecca's most amazing Wellness experience purely investing in yourself, what would that day, or week, or weekend or even afternoon look like?

R: Well....

So it would look like a closeness to the water.

Probably the sea.

A walk along the beach, a massage, and then maybe some foraging or connection to what was going to be on the menu that night. A lovely meal that would also have a view and it would involve a beautiful big bed with white linen.

As an ocean loving busy mum this sounds spot on to me...did you know we have actually developed something just like this on the Banks Peninsula!  You need to come and visit us on the South Island  

This is our The Nature Ayurveda 24 hours to re-connect experience  So you actually forage the wild gardens before your evening meal, and receive a beautiful massage and Ayurveda consultation you settle down for the night in a private glamping space complete with fresh linen,  In the morning your host will take you to experience a sunrise yoga session and sauna directly on the beach followed by an optional swim / cold plunge and walk. All complete within 24 hours in New Zealand!

 

R: I think anything is possible in New Zealand, right? It’s just about being true to who we are....

 

A huge thank you to you Rebecca for taking the time to offer both your own personal and industry insights around wellbeing and wellness tourism.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the TIA you can find out more information here

To read the TIA's recent paper

He Pae Tukutuku – our 2050 Vision

Enriching Aotearoa New Zealand through a flourishing tourism ecosystem

click here