Byron Bay shines in new season of Wellness Travel series

BYRON Bay has a starring role in the new season of Well Traveller, a wellbeing-focused TV series streaming on Network Ten’s digital platform, 10.

The Byron episode is guest-hosted by inspirational speaker and author Turia Pitt, who suffered serious burns when she was caught in a bushfire while running an ultramarathon in the Kimberley in Western Australia in 2011.

Viewers follow 43-year-old executive James, who lives with multiple sclerosis, as he explores a range of wellness experiences throughout the region, with Elements of Byron resort, Byron Yoga Centre, Explore Byron Bay Indigenous tours, Soul Surf School and Sugar Beach Ranch at South Ballina offering a taste of the area’s holistic lifestyle.

Well Traveller, now in its second season, was created by Katherine Droga who also founded the website of the same name and the Wellness Tourism Summit, which recently brought together more than 100 industry leaders, operators, and suppliers at Elements of Byron.

Both the series and the summit were supported by Destination NSW as part of its broader push to grow the state’s wellness tourism sector.

Wellness tourism has been identified as a key opportunity under the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2035, which aims to boost annual visitor spending to $91 billion.

Globally, the wellness economy is on a similar upward trend, with the Global Wellness Institute forecasting it will reach nearly $9 trillion by 2028.

Other destinations featured in the series include Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Coffs Coast and hinterland, the Hunter Valley, Mudgee and the NSW South Coast.

Each episode is hosted by an Australian wellness advocate, including world champion surfer Layne Beachley.

Droga said she was thrilled to showcase why NSW is one of the world’s wellness tourism hotspots.

“With 30 years in tourism and a lifelong passion for wellness, I’ve seen first-hand the growing need for experiences that truly support people’s wellbeing,” she said.

The Byron episode of Well Traveller airs at 3.30pm on October 25 and is also available to stream on 10.