Wellness tourism is one of the fastest-growing forms of international and domestic tourism. This trend is unlikely to change in the coming 5 or 10 years. Wellness tourism is a new and developing tourism sector in Indonesia. Indonesia is not a popular wellness tourism destination and the government is starting to consider promoting and marketing this sector. The article aims to verify Indonesia as a potential wellness tourism destination. It is based on the research that explored the wellness tourism concept as well as wellness tourism development and trends. It provides some insights and highlights some of the key challenges for promoting Indonesia as a wellness tourism destination. The research included a review of historical and current literature, data, and global research reports. Invited respondents participating for the primary data collection included both domestic and international tourists as well as relevant stakeholders or key players for wellness tourism. Design Thinking methodology was used for data analysis of this applied research. The article concludes with some implications and recommendations for wellness tourism industry in Indonesia in order to capitalize on its business opportunities.
Keywords: wellness tourism, destination, design thinking, business opportunities