Healthy outlook for the naturist market

or many people outside the movement, naturism can sometimes appear to be a small and highly specialised niche. Not to say a quirky one.

Yet the reality is quite different. Beneath the surface lies a surprisingly large (and often untapped) global community of travellers who are actively seeking clothing-optional experiences, as well as a far wider group who participate occasionally through beach visits, spa and wellness retreats, or naturist-friendly holidays: even if the latter is nothing more than a secluded villa or other property rental where you don’t have to worry about swimming costumes.

Understanding the scale of this market, and the trends shaping it, is crucial for anyone interested in selling naturist travel: be that tour operators, venues, destinations, content creators and, yes – media outlets such as ourselves.

As travel evolves, and a new generation discovers social nudity in different ways, the naturist tourism industry is entering a period of transition: one that offers both familiar challenges and exciting new opportunities.

Reach

You could begin by describing naturism as a small movement with a large reach. Trying to quantify the exact figures however is a difficult task.

If you simply take the definition of a naturist as somebody who belongs to an official naturist organisation – whether that be a local, national or international club or association – the figure looks relatively small: perhaps around 2.5 million people worldwide? But that’s a little bit like saying that to be called a football fan, you have to be a season ticket holder at your favourite club.

Registration numbers of naturists only tell part of the story.

When occasional participants are included – people who enjoy clothing-optional beaches, try naturist holidays, or attend nude events – estimates rise to at least 10 million globally. And even then, you might only be scratching the surface.

Yes, there is a core group of committed naturists who belong to clubs, holiday regularly at naturist resorts, and engage deeply with the community. Alongside them however is a much larger casual or curious audience who may not identify as naturists, but are open to clothing-optional experiences when travelling.

The distinction is important.

Concentrated

The same applies if you are trying to calculate the number of ‘naturist’ venues out there, as the number of dedicated naturist accommodation providers is relatively small, and mainly concentrated in key markets (see panel).

If you add together the number of accommodation providers who themselves identify as naturist or clothing-optional – and here we are talking primarily dedicated naturist resorts or holiday villages, hotels, campsites, private clubs, smaller resorts, and independent hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses – industry directories and other observers of the naturist scene estimate there are around 1,000 to 1,200 businesses operating directly within the sector worldwide.

However, this doesn’t take into account all those villa rentals. Nor does it include the growing wellness sector, where given its relaxed and free-spirited ethos, nudity is often not a challenge. And it is certainly an opportunity.

Horizons

It should go without saying therefore that all of us with an interest in naturist travel need to start expanding our horizons.

If we look beyond the more obvious (and current) accommodation providers for instance, the sector suddenly becomes much larger, and can be broken down as follows:

Specialist tour operators: companies organising naturist or clothing-optional cruises, charter holidays and escorted trips.

Events and experiences: from clothing-optional festivals and naked yoga retreats to large gatherings such as World Naked Bike Rides and mass skinny-dips (all with possible spin-offs that can be monetised).

Destination marketing: those tourism authorities who have started to appreciate the value of the naked dollar, and have begun actively promoting naturist beaches and other options as part of their visitor economy.

Lifestyle brands: companies producing sun care, health/wellness products and outdoor accessories aimed at naturist travellers.

Coin

Flipping the coin for a moment, let’s also ask ourselves why naturist travellers matter so much to the naturist travel industry. One very good reason – apart from the obvious one that they spend money – is the travel behaviour of naturists themselves, especially when you consider the age/economic status of many current naturists. They are characterised by:

Frequent travel: many naturists take multiple clothing-optional holidays each year

Destination loyalty: favourite resorts and/or countries often attract repeat visitors

High trust in recommendations: informed editorial/social media coverage and word-of-mouth both strongly influence decisions

Community connections: travel is often tied to social networks within the naturist movement

All of these characteristics make naturist travellers particularly valuable for venues and destinations seeking dependable returning guests, and make targeted marketing highly achievable.

But there is a downside to relying too heavily on a core of tried-and-trusted repeat visitors. They are getting older, possibly poorer, certainly more infirm. And then they die…

Emergence

The culture of naturism is evolving. And so is the market.

Sociologists have increasingly identified the emergence of what some commentators call Naturism 2.0 – a younger generation discovering social nudity outside traditional clubs and resorts.

Scoff if you will at the marketing-speak label, but there is no denying the logic behind it. Instead of joining established organisations, many younger participants are encountering naturism through outdoor events, social media communities, body-positivity movements, wellness retreats, saunas, hot springs and the festival culture.

Clothing-optional activities such as group swims, yoga classes, walks and cycling events have introduced many newcomers to naturism without the traditional entry point of a club membership or the existing naturist media. In short, many younger travellers are exploring naturism in far more informal settings and circumstances than the generations that have come before them.

Factor

Nowhere is this truer than with regard to wellness. Academic research has highlighted a hugely important factor in naturism’s appeal: psychological wellbeing. Social nudity is increasingly being associated with higher body appreciation, increased self-esteem, and greater life satisfaction. These findings reinforce a message long understood by naturists themselves: that naturism is about comfort, relaxation and acceptance as much as it is about the absence of clothing.

For naturist travel-related businesses, this link with wellness is one that is becoming increasingly significant. And one that can’t be swept under the yoga mat...

A world of naturism

So, where are the world’s naturists located? And where are the venues serving them?

Europe remains the world’s largest naturist tourism market, accounting for roughly half of all dedicated naturist accommodation, and many of its staunchest proponents.

France and Spain in particular have developed a substantial naturist tourism industry centred on well-known destinations such as Cap d’Agde and Vera Playa.

Major resort areas like these attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and have become recognised holiday destinations in their own right. Both countries also have a plethora of naturist campsites (even if one or two have fallen by the wayside recently) and a host of other naked options, including guest houses and B&Bs.

Other European countries with strong naturist tourism sectors include Portugal, Greece and Croatia (all helped by good weather), whilst in Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, the culture is certainly naturist-focused, even if the outgoing market far outweighs the incoming.

Across the Atlantic, the naturist landscape in America looks slightly different. In the United States, the sector has traditionally been centred on private clubs and member-based resorts affiliated with organisations such as the American Association for Nude Recreation. Some states, like Florida, generate billions of dollars in tourism spending linked to naturist visitors, demonstrating the economic impact of the sector. While many of these resorts began as long-term communities, they increasingly welcome short-stay holidaymakers as naturist tourism becomes more mainstream. Elsewhere in the US, the attitude towards public nudity can vary from state to state, from the relaxed to the near-medieval.

A number of new destinations meanwhile have been attracting attention in recent years from naturist travellers, including Thailand, Mexico and the Caribbean, with the emergence of numerous boutique naturist resorts, villas and retreat spaces. These properties often combine naturism with wellness experiences such as yoga retreats, spa programmes and eco-tourism: proof that the blending of naturism with broader lifestyle travel trends reflects one of the most significant changes taking place within the market.

©H&E Naturist 2025

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