Grieving used to be something people did quietly, often alone. Now, a growing number of travellers are turning loss into a shared experience through grief retreats, healing circles and even bereavement cruises designed to help people process heartbreak, trauma and death in community settings.
As demand for emotional wellness travel surges, grief tourism is rapidly becoming one of the industry’s most unexpected new trends.
A Global Wellness Institute study, released in 2025, revealed that grief rituals and community support have been prevalent in civilisations for thousands of years, but have been less popular recently – until now.
The body estimates that the grief counselling market will increase to $4.52 billion (€3.89 billion) globally by 2029 from $2.73 billion (€2.34 billion) in 2022 and puts this rise down to “increasing acceptability of mental health issues in general and grief-related mental health issues in particular”.
In 2024, Condé Nast Traveller listed grief retreats as one of the top seven wellness travel trends for that year, and they’re more popular than ever, while this month, National Geographic Traveller said that the rise in grief getaways is helping travellers to “build resilience and release pent-up emotions”.
