• American Express Reveals 2024 Top Travel Trends

  American Express Travel® released its 2024 Global Travel Trends Report[1] today, highlighting the inspiration and trends driving global travel bookings this year. The report, based on survey data from travelers in the United States, Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, found that 84% of respondents plan to spend more or the same amount of money on travel in 2024 compared to last year. Additionally, 77% of respondents care more about having the right travel experience than about the cost of the trip.The four trends driving booking decisions are:· For the Love of the Game: Sports fans are planning trips around athletic events, whether it involves a favorite sport, a beloved team, or an international multi-sport competition· Planning Big: Major, expedition-style adventures, like a trip to the Galapagos Islands or trekking with the gorillas, deliver the transformative experiences that travelers are looking for· Going Solo: Travelers are takings trips alone, embracing the ease of planning and ability to tailor itineraries that are a perfect fit· On a Whim: With so much of life being structured and scheduled these days, people are seeking flexibility in their travel plans and leaving room for spontaneity“Travelers are focused on creating the right itineraries and building memories, whether that means booking a trip to see a favorite sports team compete or taking a once-in-a-lifetime expedition cruise,” says Audrey Hendley, President of American Express Travel. “Our Global Travel Trends Report sheds light on what is driving global travel bookings and provides inspiration for where to go next. Our American Express Travel Consultants can help, no matter what type of trip you want to take.”Top insights from American Express Travel’s 2024 Global Travel Trends Report include:· A desire to see sporting events live and to watch favorite teams and beloved players in person are driving where travelers are going and what they are doing when they get there.- 67% of Millennial and Gen Z respondents[2] (compared to 58% of all respondents) are interested in traveling for sporting events in 2024- 58% of respondents who are traveling for sports in 2024 will do so for soccer, basketball or Formula 1 racing- New York, Miami and Paris are the top destinations respondents are planning to travel to for sporting events this summer· Transformative, once-in-a-lifetime trips, like visiting the Galapagos Islands and hiking in Antarctica, are at the top of many travelers’ wish lists, and younger travelers want an expert to help them plan.- 65% of respondents are more interested in taking a major trip in 2024 than in previous years- 72% of respondents would rather save money for a major trip than spend it on going out with friends; and more than half of respondents plan on saving between 6 months to 2 years for a major trip- 58% of Millennial and Gen Z respondents want a travel agent or trusted advisor to help them book a major trip this year- 55% of respondents planning a major trip would consider visiting multiple countries in a region· The ease of planning and ability to make the perfect, personalized itinerary is driving people to plan trips alone, especially younger travelers.- 76% of Millennials and Gen Z respondents (compared to 69% of all respondents) say they are planning on taking a solo trip 2024- 74% of male respondents and 63% of female respondents say they are planning on taking a solo trip in 2024- 66% of respondents planning on traveling solo are planning a trip tailored to treat themselves- 60% of respondents planning on traveling solo this year intend to take two or more solo trips· Travelers are leaning into flexible itineraries, allowing them the freedom to be spontaneous and experience the local culture when they travel.- 78% of respondents say that spontaneous trips appeal to them77% of Millennials and Gen Z have booked a last-minute trip before, compared to 65% of Gen X[3] and 52% of Baby Boomers[4]- 68% of respondents agree that they like to leave unplanned time in their trip to experience local culture/activities- 57% of respondents prefer booking a last-minute getaway to a nearby destination rather than somewhere far awayAs the demand for travel continues into 2024, American Express provides eligible Card Members with exceptional travel access and experiences, including 1400+ airport lounges through its Global Lounge Collection®; expert Travel Consultants who can build dream itineraries for everything from major trips like an expedition cruise or safari, to quick weekend getaways; restaurant reservations through Resy and curated where-to-eat guides at Resy.com/Travel; benefits across global sporting experiences and venues; benefits at over 2000 hand-picked hotels around the world via Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection; more than 1000 premium vacation rental properties via Select Homes + Retreats™, and more.The full American Express Travel 2024 Global Travel Trends Report can be viewed here. [1] Survey Methodology: This poll was conducted between January 31 - February 8, 2024 among a sample of 2005 US Adults, 1007 Australia Adults, 1002 Canada, 1002 UK Adults, 1002 Japan Adults, 1006 Mexico Adults and 1005 India Adults who have at least a $50k+ income equivalent and typically travel at least once a year. The interviews were conducted online. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2-4 percentage points. Some geographies may be weighted with fewer variables depending on local census data availability.[2] Millennials and Gen Z are defined as respondents as being born between 1981 - 2012.[3] GenX are defined as respondents as being born between 1965 - 1980.[4] Baby Boomers are defined as respondents as being born between 1946 - 1964.

• The Global Wellness Institute Spotlights South Korea’s $113 Billion Wellness Economy

  The Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the leading nonprofit dedicated to research and education in the global wellness industry, has announced the addition of South Korea to its growing Geography of Wellness platform, through a partnership with Therme Group. A global organization committed to fostering inclusive urban wellbeing, Therme recently announced the location for its first Asia Pacific project as part of the Golden Harbor development in South Korea’s Incheon City. “GWI’s Geography of Wellness platform offers a detailed map of the wellness landscape, delineating the economic contributions of wellness-oriented businesses and activities specific to each nation,” said Susie Ellis, GWI chair and CEO. “South Korea, the world’s ninth largest wellness market, has demonstrated both growth and resilience, scaling from a pre-pandemic $99.6 billion in 2019, to a 5% dip in 2020 ($94.4 billion), to a valuation of $113 billion in 2022.” South Korea is not only thriving in its overall wellness economy but is also leading the charge in several specific categories, including ranking #6 globally in both physical activity and traditional & complementary medicine. The nation also secures the #8 spot worldwide in public health, prevention & personalized medicine, as well as workplace wellness—despite a slight dip in spending over the previous year in the latter sector— asserting its continued dedication to evolving workplace culture and public health initiatives. GWI assesses 11 key sectors within the wellness economies of 218 countries worldwide. South Korea has had notable valuation increases in virtually all sectors for 2022 (a new dedicated Global Wellness Economy: South Korea report is available for download.) South Korea Wellness Sector Annual Growth 2020-2022 with 2022 ValuationPhysical Activity: +11%, $29.68B Personal Care & Beauty: +3.5%, $24.87B Healthy Eating, Nutrition & Weight Loss: -0.5%, $13.49B Traditional & Complementary Medicine: +2.7%, $13.46B Public Health, Prevention & Personalized Medicine: +44.6%, $13.40B Wellness Real Estate: +16.5%, $8.37B Wellness Tourism: +11.3%, $5.43B Mental Wellness: +7.2%, valued at $2.86B Spas: +16.2%, valued at $1.55B Workplace Wellness: -3.6, $1.15B Thermal/Mineral Springs: +13.3%, $0.58B Living Well in South Korea Wellness in South Korea is a blend of centuries-old traditions and modern science and technology, in an environment rich in natural resources. Korean cuisine—with its vast variety of kimchi (fermented vegetables), banchan (side dishes), fresh seafood and vegan options—has already taken the world by storm. Wellness practices such as sauna and hot springs bathing, meditation, martial arts (taekwondo and taekgyeon), herbal and medicinal teas, acupuncture and moxibustion (a technique of burning herbal moxa cones to warm acupuncture points) are widely adopted for health maintenance and healing. Living well in South Korea today also means adopting modern fitness routines, accessing digital wellness tools, practicing skincare rituals, and accessing diverse cosmetic and beauty options popularly known across the world as K-beauty. Key Wellness Experiences in South Korea With its vast mountain ranges and surrounded by seas on three sides, South Korea offers a phenomenal natural setting for all types of wellness activities and holidays, from hot springs bathing, to hiking, to water sports; from mountain and seaside resorts to meditation retreats and temple stays. One can sample mountain herbs, temple cuisine, and traditional Korean dishes that can help promote blood circulation and warmth in cold weather. Its metropolises offer wellness amenities from spa and beauty to fitness, to traditional and complementary medicine. Visitors may want to try a mindful tea ceremony, or immerse in Korean bathing traditions at natural hot springs as well as communal baths and saunas, a social and family-friendly experience. Therme Group’s collaboration with GWI is pivotal in showcasing South Korea on the global stage. Stelian Iacob, senior vice president of Therme Group, remarked: “South Korea has rich and varied wellbeing traditions and a high-growth wellness economy. We are committed to enhancing the wellbeing of South Korea’s residents and visitors, and this research provides vital data for the industry. The research shows that people are rediscovering the health benefits of thermal bathing and wellness therapies, and we look forward to working with local partners to bring our unique wellbeing resort experience to the region.” To learn more about South Korea’s wellness economy, visit its dedicated Geography of Wellness page on the GWI website.

• Global Wellness Summit Releases 10 Wellness Trends for 2024

  The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) has released its annual Future of Wellness report, the longest-running, most in-depth (120-page) forecast of what will make waves in wellness in the year ahead. In the 20-plus years this trends team has been analyzing the wellness space, there have been more shakeups in 2023 than in the last decade. There certainly is momentum: the global market will grow from $5.6 trillion today to $8.5 trillion by 2027—with countless surveys revealing that wellness has never been such an important priority for people as now. But what kind of wellness matters—and for whom—is undergoing serious transformation. Generational, income, and gender gaps are widening in culture, and they’re creating a wellness landscape increasingly defined by very different—even contradictory—markets and mindsets. The GWS calls these polarized wellness markets “hardcare” and “softcare.” “Hardcare” describes the new hyper-medical, high-tech, even more expensive wellness market. “Softcare” captures the new desires for a low-pressure, simpler, less expensive, less relentlessly self-optimizing wellness, where emotional and social wellbeing matter most. This trends report illustrates how there is no longer one wellness narrative or unifying trend. The future is both “harder” and “softer” care, and that polarity will only widen. Themes in the report: More “hardcare”—from longevity clinics to weight loss drugs, medicine is muscling in: The speed at which medicine is invading the wellness market is astounding. One trend explores how the quest for longevity will continue to dominate the health/wellness space, with highly-medical, high-cost longevity clinics becoming the new business genre, offering everything from advanced diagnostics to stem cell treatments. Equally astounding is how fast new weight-loss drugs have upended behavior-change-focused wellness businesses, whether dieting platforms or resorts. Our trend analyzes these drugs’ impact, how wellness businesses quickly pivoted to prescribe Big Pharma’s magic “pricks,” and how the future is the wellness market delivering a healthier, more comprehensive weight-loss approach. More “softcare”—more low-fi, ancient, social, emotional, deeply human wellness: The media has been covering how younger gens (especially women) are pushing back against this last decade of high-pressure, uber-commodified wellness, and recasting true wellness as a messier, more joyful, simpler and cheaper affair. New desires for a simpler, more profound wellness drive one of our top travel trends of the year: how a record number of revitalized pilgrimage trails worldwide are luring new generations to the most ancient, slow, communal and spiritual form of travel. And if wellness has been complicit in clichéd views of masculinity (only focused on the physical), another trend explores how wellness will finally take a more human approach to men, with a wave of retreats, small groups, and apps focused on men’s social and emotional wellbeing. Wellness will tackle serious crises, from climate threats to women’s health: With temperatures breaking records each year, one trend explores a new “climate-adaptive wellness,” a surge in solutions that can cool our homes, cities and bodies. And since solving for grossly-ignored women’s health issues is now a heartbeat of wellness, another trend explores how desperately-needed innovation in postpartum care for new moms (and dads) is ahead—from post-birth retreats to new mental health apps. New tech, new wellness categories: Several trends illustrate how wellness technology innovation is going into overdrive. One explores how our homes are becoming high-tech health hubs, with everything from medical-grade diagnostic systems, to smart furnishings that make wellbeing adjustments in real-time. Technologies such as generative AI are also fueling a new era of “wellness art.” If experiencing art has always been a passive affair, a new wave of art experiences at museums, resorts and public spaces is turning it into a deeply multisensory, immersive experience, expressly designed to boost your mental wellbeing. TEN WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2024: Climate-Adaptive Wellness With an increasingly heat-crushed planet, bringing massive physical and mental health risks, we will see a new “climate-adaptive wellness”: a wave of innovations that can cool our bodies, homes and cities. We simply cannot keep air conditioning more of the world: it’s erasing climate change progress. Cooling approaches—from the cutting-edge to the ancient—will be the burning issue in architecture and design. We’ll see more green space, tree cover, and rooftop gardens; high-tech building materials and heat-reflective paint for roads and roofs; and heat-fighting design from historically broiling places like the Middle East. Cities are re-thinking everything, building cooling centers and public pools, with many rushing to clean up their waterways to let people do wild swimming, an incredible line of defense. Smart-tech cooling clothing will go mainstream, as will wearables that monitor the body’s heat indicators, from core temp to hydration to electrolytes. There is even a new “climate-adaptive” beauty trend rising. Our baking planet is disrupting travel, with people moving away from traditional “hotspots,” trading beaches and deserts for mountains, the Mediterranean for Scandinavia, and summer vacations for fall or spring ones, in a move towards what’s being called “cool-cations.” So much will change in the traditional wellness space, from a new focus on hot/cold therapy’s role in the body’s thermoregulation to the rise of (cooler) “night-time wellness” programming at hotels and resorts, from star-gazing to full-moon yoga. The Power of the Pilgrimage One silver lining that came out of the pandemic gloom is that people all around the world rediscovered the simple joys and health benefits that come from walking, and a purposeful connection with nature. Today, walking enthusiasts are dramatically expanding their horizons by exploring ancient pilgrimage trails, fueling a global trend as record numbers of travelers take up multi-day hikes infused with spiritual exploration and cultural heritage in countries around the world. While nearly half a million pilgrims completed the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain in 2023 (a new record), scores of modern pilgrims were also drawn to off-the-beaten-path sites in Japan, such as the Shikoku 88 and the Michinoku Coastal trails, as well as buzzy pilgrimage destinations in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, India and Italy, all of which have undergone extensive restorations thanks to government efforts to promote holistic tourism. From a wellness perspective, this trend has serious legs: a pilgrimage is a metaphor for the path to enlightenment, engendering slow, meditative travel, and facilitating deeper engagement with our surroundings to foster a sense of awe. It also produces unexpected encounters with strangers that lead to a deeper perspective on the place of our “self” in a very big world. Savvy resorts are now looking to pilgrimages, offering wellness programs that incorporate journeys between sacred sites, participation in religious services such as meditating with monks or almsgiving, and providing access to ceremonies once attainable only after years of experience on the path to enlightenment. From Manning Up to Opening Up Wellness has long provided a space for women to open up, explore their emotions, and build community, but the same can’t be said for men. They’ve either been left out of the equation or, when included, the wellness offerings they’ve been served have reinforced a clichéd view of masculinity—from warrior-like fitness challenges to tough-guy biohacks. At the same time, shifting gender roles and a societal revolt against old-school masculinity have left men without a rulebook for what it means to “be a man” today. A cultural shift is underway. As the dire consequences of rising male loneliness are exposed, the wellness industry is responding with a new wave of solutions designed to help men reconnect with themselves and with one another. One example is the rise of men’s retreats like EVRYMAN and Junto, where unlearning stoicism and authentically sharing your feelings is the name of the game; another example is the new mental health apps designed specifically by and for men. In this trend, we explore how these so-called “softer” forms of wellness will serve as a much-needed catalyst for male connection. Looking further ahead, we anticipate that social and emotional wellness offerings for men will become more nuanced, more evenly distributed across all stages of life, and more global. The Rise of Postpartum Wellness Following childbirth, new parents typically find themselves in a care “desert”: all the attention is on the baby, and the medical system largely abandons them. While giving birth is a massive physical event, and new parenthood often entails serious mental health challenges, postpartum care has been grossly ignored. Change is here: a new, comprehensive postpartum wellness is now taking many directions. Cultures around the world have postpartum retreat traditions for the mom and baby (from Korea’s sanjujori to Latin America’s la cuarantena) that focus on deep rest, healthy food, baby-care education, massage and therapeutic bathing for the birthing parent. Increasingly, posh postpartum retreats are delivering precious days and weeks of postpartum recovery (at a price)—whether at Boram Postnatal Retreat in New York City or Kai Singapore. With postpartum depression rates rising globally, governments and corporations are taking action, while new apps are addressing the mental health of new parents (such as Mavida Health, offering a whole slate of therapy and counseling). More femtech startups are dedicated to postpartum care across the spectrum—from C-section recovery services to a boom in pelvic floor care products/services (so crucial to postpartum health). The wellness consumer goods market has exploded with options, from postpartum skincare to supplements, while brands are also destigmatizing sexual wellness post-birth. True postpartum wellness would mean a dramatic change in the current post-birth experience, with access to an integrated medical and wellness team that could deliver a holistic, empathetic approach to support new parents’ physical and emotional wellbeing, including education, proper nutrition, physical therapy and pain-focused therapies. The future needs to make what’s offered in the new, luxe postpartum retreats only a few can afford available to all. Longevity Has Longevity The speed at which longevity has seized the biotech, health and wellness spaces in the last year is staggering. No mere “trend,” it’s the new industry pillar, the lens to reexamine everything we do, and an entire interconnected “economy” pegged to be worth $610 billion by 2025. Driven by an aging population seeking a longer healthspan and a medical establishment still not focused on prevention, longevity is here for the long game and will only ramp up in 2024. So, we bring you two reports with different vantage points. The first, from Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD, clinical professor at UCSF School of Medicine, identifies the eight key areas of research driving the practical applications of longevity science—including personalized plans grounded in genetic, epigenetic and biomarker testing; research on senolytics (drugs that can remove senescent cells); telomere regeneration; nutrigenomics; and a new AI/GPT-driven healthcare. It provides a much-needed framework for what matters in what’s become a Wild West of longevity solutions. The second report explores the longevity boom from the perspective of the wellness industry, and how the highly-medical, high-tech (and high-priced) longevity clinic is the fastest-growing business genre, with over 1,000 clinics worldwide. Most offer advanced diagnostic testing (biomarker, genetic, hormonal, full-body MRIs, etc.), to identify issues before they become a problem, such as Fountain Life (whose heartbeat is AI-powered diagnostics) or Human Longevity Inc. (with genomics testing at its core). Others offer experimental, less-proven approaches such as stem cell treatments and plasma exchange—and the usual biohacking/recovery treatments (IV drips, cryotherapy, ozone therapy, etc.)—but now in the name of longevity. More high-end gyms (such as Saint Haven in Melbourne) are becoming full-blown longevity clinics, offering work-ups (preventative diagnostic testing, scans, etc.) along with their workouts. If wellness resorts have been more about “soul” than scans and stem cells, now a growing number are becoming highly-medical longevity destinations. Powerhouse medical-longevity players such as Spain’s SHA Wellness and Switzerland’s Clinique La Prairie are on the march, the latter planning 40 new urban “longevity hubs.” Soulful brand Six Senses is opening medical-longevity clubs (called Rosebar), with everything from epigenetic testing to stem cell therapy. More wellness resorts, like Italy’s Borgo Egnazia and Thailand’s Kamalaya Koh Samui, will embrace lo-fi longevity, offering Blue Zones retreats that get their guests connecting, cooking and moving like the people who live the longest in the world. In 2024, a further avalanche of clinics, travel destinations and tools will try to help you live longer and better. But we’ll also start asking some hard questions. About access: with uber-expensive clinics/solutions, are we entering a future where only the poor age? How can most people afford to live to 130? What is the impact of a “never die” mindset on our mental health and on the death-acceptance movement? A Wellness Check for Weight Loss Drugs The wellness industry was shaken up with the arrival of Big Pharma’s new, extremely effective GLP-1-inhibiting weight-loss drugs, the Ozempics and Mounjaros. They upended traditional behavior-change approaches to weight loss, recasting weight loss as a matter of biology rather than psychology and “willpower.” They quickly created challenges for behavior-change-focused businesses, whether dieting platforms, gyms, or wellness resorts. A big driver of the wellness market has always been weight loss, once more explicitly, and now more tacitly, as it became a dirty word after hard-fought body positivity gains. The new “magic pricks” quickly ripped open the weight loss Pandora’s box, and their impact on the world and wellness world will only become more intense in 2024. The number of people taking them has skyrocketed, resulting in ongoing global shortages. At least 70 new drugs are in development, with new, cheaper, very effective ones like Zepbound hitting the market this year. With people clamoring for the drugs, the trend covers how more wellness/health companies quickly pivoted to the (profitable) path of prescribing them, whether direct-to-consumer telemedicine brands like Ro or Found, or weight-loss platforms like WW (formerly Weight Watchers) and Noom. There is so much debate around the drugs and the companies making such moves. Proponents argue they could end the global obesity epidemic and save millions of lives; critics question their long-term health impacts, how they reinforce discriminatory ideals that “thin equals healthy,” and that, while they’re super-effective, they cannot deliver holistic health: exercise, healthy food, mental wellness, are still needed. In 2024, we predict the wellness world will start to interrogate how it could actually provide (not in name only) more honest, fully integrative, whole-health weight-loss approaches (spanning everything from nutrition coaching to fitness to mental health services to advanced metabolic health analysis), while also creating specific “wellness companion” programs for the drug-takers. The future: evidence-based methods that could help get people off these “forever” drugs and that specifically improve their health while on them. Sports Finds Its Footing in Hospitality After decades of fitness meaning lonely solo sessions at the gym, more people globally are embracing social, empowering sports (see: the pickleball explosion)—and more people want to train like near-elite athletes. At the same time, pro, collegiate, and even competitive junior athletes, constantly traveling to compete, have sorely lacked hospitality destinations that deliver wellness, recovery treatments and state-of-the-art gym equipment. It’s strange how much “sports” has been left out of the hospitality equation, but that’s now changing. Hospitality destinations are answering the call with everything from pro trainers to pro-level facilities—and if the global sports hospitality market was last valued at $4.75 billion, we think it will boom. More high-end wellness destinations are catering to recreational athletes who are serious about their sport, letting guests train and learn from their sports idols. Body Holiday in St. Lucia now features nine sports-themed months, led by pro athletes like NFL star Randy Moss and Olympians like Daley Thompson, Alix Klineman and Angie Akers, to let people up their running, swimming, and crewing game. In 2024, Aman Resorts is unveiling fitness, performance and recovery retreats led by five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova. New hospitality brands are squarely aimed at elite athletes, offering nth-degree wellness, fitness and recovery programming. Equinox Hotels plans 33 properties, and will next open in Saudi Arabia’s extraordinary Amaala wellness destination, with a pro-level gym, personal trainers, brain-stimulating tech to boost performance, and the full recovery menu, from cryo chambers to on-demand IV drips. Siro, a mind-blowing fitness and recovery hotel concept, opening its first property SIRO One Za’abeel next month in Dubai, optimizes everything (from rooms to food) for athletes of all levels, but is especially aimed at pros—from its vast gym designed by Olympic athletes to its incredible Recovery Lab. Sports tourism (people traveling to watch events) is a massive market, but more destinations are moving people from spectators to sports participants. The 2024 Paris Olympics will host a pre-Games marathon for regular folks so they can experience the thrill of the course. This summer’s Tour de France will, for the first time, open up new cycling routes near the course, so biking enthusiasts can jump in. Hospitality groups are thinking beyond “training like an athlete” and actually organizing competitive play: swimmers, runners, and tennis and pickleball players really want to compete with people at their level. So, in 2024, add a new category to the tourism lexicon: sports-meets-wellness travel. The Home as Highest-Tech-Health-Hub Wellness-focused homes have been a megatrend for years, with a big focus on amenities like meditation rooms and cold plunge pools. Now homes, and even cities, are becoming highest-tech, multifaceted health hubs. The shift is unprecedented, involving everything from the rise of medical-grade home health-monitoring systems to smart furnishings that adjust in real-time to individual wellbeing needs. In a post-pandemic era marked by increased time spent at home, health-at-home is taking bold new directions. The trend includes “Home Health Care,” where homes are becoming advanced “outpatient” care centers powered by digital health services—from fully-integrated telehealth to new health monitoring and diagnostic technology, reducing reliance on in-person interactions with practitioners. There is so much innovation in using M-health (mobile health) for home healthcare. For example, the just-released foneDX (from electronRX) uses existing smartphone sensors and a user interface app to measure a person’s critical heart and lung health right at home. In the next five years, 45% of healthcare services are expected to be delivered at home. Cities are becoming high-tech health hubs. In Saudi Arabia’s hotly-anticipated new smart city NEOM (unfolding in 2025), the futuristic healthcare system Dr. NEOM continuously collects health data from the population and houses it in a “digital twin” file of every resident. With this wealth of information, the system can precisely customize health and wellness interventions, and even predict health issues before they occur. It’s the city-as-wearable. Sensory-enhanced design is moving far beyond wellness concepts like feng shui and biophilic interiors. A new generation of textiles mean the very fabrics surrounding us at home will come alive as interactive interfaces. Companies like Getsound.ai and Endel are creating personalized bio-soundscapes grounded in our real-time biometric and environmental data. Our homes will ultimately evolve into multifaceted ecosystems, merging advanced nanotechnology and empathetic architecture to create living spaces that capture our biometrics to create environments dynamically extending from our own psyches. The home as high-tech health hub is a futuristic trend within the wellness real estate sector, the fastest-growing wellness market of all: now worth $398 billion and forecast to grow to $887.5 billion by 2027. A New Multisensory, Immersive Art for Wellness Art used to be a passive experience: you stare at a painting, or have lunch next to a sculpture garden. But no more. As newly tech-enabled artists—powered by innovations such as generative AI, projection mapping and spatial sound technologies—bring their craft to the mainstream, we’re entering an era of multi-sensory, wildly immersive art. Beyond a simple gaze, this next-gen art allows us to engage all of our senses and to participate, and is expressly designed to transform our mental wellbeing. Museums, hotels and spas are incorporating more and more multisensory art experiences into their offerings and, in doing so, are prioritizing wellness as an integrated offering. Case in point: the Mandala Lab at the Rubin Museum in New York City combines video, scent, sculpture, and sound based on Buddhist principles into one holistic, spiritual exhibit. At the Termemilano spa in Milan, Italy, a video skyscape of stormy skies surrounds a hydro pool, creating an unmatched moody vibe. Six Senses resorts are creating multisensory somatic experiences, like bio-alchemy sculptures infused with scents, flotation experiences suffused with ocean sounds, or geodesic domes with vibroacoustic floors. Multisensory, immersive art is becoming incredibly widespread in public places. From installations that dot cityscapes to AI-driven art in hospitals that utilize facial screening software to deliver audio-visuals based on your emotions. In the future, as adoption of wearable technologies becomes widespread, generative artworks will become even more hyper-personalized, participatory and therapeutically effective. Adaptive art will continue to take hold and push the boundaries of what sensory immersion and art-as-wellness can mean. Under the Radar At each annual Global Wellness Summit, delegates from around the world gather for four days of top-level insights. Because of its global nature and collection of diverse thought-leaders from the health and wellness world, it’s an incubator of new ideas. Many of these new ideas were the springboard for trends in this report, but GWS Chair and CEO Susie Ellis always notes interesting new directions also discussed that might be under the radar now but have the potential to become trends. This year, for the first time, Susie shares some of her emerging themes to watch. One key theme was for the wellness world to work harder at destigmatizing mental health issues and at creating new solutions, given the skyrocketing global rates of mental unwellness. Simone Biles’ keynote framed this huge issue, chronicling how mental struggles necessitated her withdrawal from the 2020 Olympics, and calling for a world where you could wear a “helmet on your head” to safely signal mental issues just as a cast does for a broken leg. The need for more mental wellness solutions percolated across the Summit. Amy McDonald (CEO, Under a Tree Consultancy) argued that with teens worldwide struggling mightily with mental health, we must lower age limits at wellness centers and spas, so they can benefit from evidence-based healing treatments, and properties like Qatar’s Zulal Wellness Resort have already risen to the occasion. There were very new ideas, such as Anjan Chattergee, MD, professor of neurology, University of Pennsylvania’s research into “slow looking,” how looking at an art piece for 15 minutes (rather than a few seconds) results in eye-opening impact on the brain. Another mega theme: governments embracing more innovative, powerful wellness policies. “Un-GDP” was discussed, with more governments moving beyond money-focused—in favor of quality-of-life—metrics to gauge national wellbeing. Through world-leading health/wellness policies, Singapore has dramatically improved its citizens’ health and longevity, which is why it was just named the sixth Blue Zone. This marks a new future of “Blue Zones 2.0,” where communities actively engineer environments that make it “natural” to make healthy choices. Keynote speaker Sophie Howe, the first Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, explained the crucial role policy must play in protecting the lives and health of those who will be born 50 years from now. Deborah Birx, MD, introduced the concept of “wellness diplomacy,” which could bring a divisive world together to collaborate on prevention. As for other things to watch? Dive into the other under-the-radar themes.

• American Express Reveals 2024 Top Travel Trends

  American Express Travel® released its 2024 Global Travel Trends Report[1] today, highlighting the inspiration and trends driving global travel bookings this year. The report, based on survey data from travelers in the United States, Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, found that 84% of respondents plan to spend more or the same amount of money on travel in 2024 compared to last year. Additionally, 77% of respondents care more about having the right travel experience than about the cost of the trip.The four trends driving booking decisions are:· For the Love of the Game: Sports fans are planning trips around athletic events, whether it involves a favorite sport, a beloved team, or an international multi-sport competition· Planning Big: Major, expedition-style adventures, like a trip to the Galapagos Islands or trekking with the gorillas, deliver the transformative experiences that travelers are looking for· Going Solo: Travelers are takings trips alone, embracing the ease of planning and ability to tailor itineraries that are a perfect fit· On a Whim: With so much of life being structured and scheduled these days, people are seeking flexibility in their travel plans and leaving room for spontaneity“Travelers are focused on creating the right itineraries and building memories, whether that means booking a trip to see a favorite sports team compete or taking a once-in-a-lifetime expedition cruise,” says Audrey Hendley, President of American Express Travel. “Our Global Travel Trends Report sheds light on what is driving global travel bookings and provides inspiration for where to go next. Our American Express Travel Consultants can help, no matter what type of trip you want to take.”Top insights from American Express Travel’s 2024 Global Travel Trends Report include:· A desire to see sporting events live and to watch favorite teams and beloved players in person are driving where travelers are going and what they are doing when they get there.- 67% of Millennial and Gen Z respondents[2] (compared to 58% of all respondents) are interested in traveling for sporting events in 2024- 58% of respondents who are traveling for sports in 2024 will do so for soccer, basketball or Formula 1 racing- New York, Miami and Paris are the top destinations respondents are planning to travel to for sporting events this summer· Transformative, once-in-a-lifetime trips, like visiting the Galapagos Islands and hiking in Antarctica, are at the top of many travelers’ wish lists, and younger travelers want an expert to help them plan.- 65% of respondents are more interested in taking a major trip in 2024 than in previous years- 72% of respondents would rather save money for a major trip than spend it on going out with friends; and more than half of respondents plan on saving between 6 months to 2 years for a major trip- 58% of Millennial and Gen Z respondents want a travel agent or trusted advisor to help them book a major trip this year- 55% of respondents planning a major trip would consider visiting multiple countries in a region· The ease of planning and ability to make the perfect, personalized itinerary is driving people to plan trips alone, especially younger travelers.- 76% of Millennials and Gen Z respondents (compared to 69% of all respondents) say they are planning on taking a solo trip 2024- 74% of male respondents and 63% of female respondents say they are planning on taking a solo trip in 2024- 66% of respondents planning on traveling solo are planning a trip tailored to treat themselves- 60% of respondents planning on traveling solo this year intend to take two or more solo trips· Travelers are leaning into flexible itineraries, allowing them the freedom to be spontaneous and experience the local culture when they travel.- 78% of respondents say that spontaneous trips appeal to them77% of Millennials and Gen Z have booked a last-minute trip before, compared to 65% of Gen X[3] and 52% of Baby Boomers[4]- 68% of respondents agree that they like to leave unplanned time in their trip to experience local culture/activities- 57% of respondents prefer booking a last-minute getaway to a nearby destination rather than somewhere far awayAs the demand for travel continues into 2024, American Express provides eligible Card Members with exceptional travel access and experiences, including 1400+ airport lounges through its Global Lounge Collection®; expert Travel Consultants who can build dream itineraries for everything from major trips like an expedition cruise or safari, to quick weekend getaways; restaurant reservations through Resy and curated where-to-eat guides at Resy.com/Travel; benefits across global sporting experiences and venues; benefits at over 2000 hand-picked hotels around the world via Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection; more than 1000 premium vacation rental properties via Select Homes + Retreats™, and more.The full American Express Travel 2024 Global Travel Trends Report can be viewed here. [1] Survey Methodology: This poll was conducted between January 31 - February 8, 2024 among a sample of 2005 US Adults, 1007 Australia Adults, 1002 Canada, 1002 UK Adults, 1002 Japan Adults, 1006 Mexico Adults and 1005 India Adults who have at least a $50k+ income equivalent and typically travel at least once a year. The interviews were conducted online. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2-4 percentage points. Some geographies may be weighted with fewer variables depending on local census data availability.[2] Millennials and Gen Z are defined as respondents as being born between 1981 - 2012.[3] GenX are defined as respondents as being born between 1965 - 1980.[4] Baby Boomers are defined as respondents as being born between 1946 - 1964.

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  • Global News

  2024-03-14

• The Global Wellness Institute Spotlights South Korea’s $113 Billion Wellness Economy

  The Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the leading nonprofit dedicated to research and education in the global wellness industry, has announced the addition of South Korea to its growing Geography of Wellness platform, through a partnership with Therme Group. A global organization committed to fostering inclusive urban wellbeing, Therme recently announced the location for its first Asia Pacific project as part of the Golden Harbor development in South Korea’s Incheon City. “GWI’s Geography of Wellness platform offers a detailed map of the wellness landscape, delineating the economic contributions of wellness-oriented businesses and activities specific to each nation,” said Susie Ellis, GWI chair and CEO. “South Korea, the world’s ninth largest wellness market, has demonstrated both growth and resilience, scaling from a pre-pandemic $99.6 billion in 2019, to a 5% dip in 2020 ($94.4 billion), to a valuation of $113 billion in 2022.” South Korea is not only thriving in its overall wellness economy but is also leading the charge in several specific categories, including ranking #6 globally in both physical activity and traditional & complementary medicine. The nation also secures the #8 spot worldwide in public health, prevention & personalized medicine, as well as workplace wellness—despite a slight dip in spending over the previous year in the latter sector— asserting its continued dedication to evolving workplace culture and public health initiatives. GWI assesses 11 key sectors within the wellness economies of 218 countries worldwide. South Korea has had notable valuation increases in virtually all sectors for 2022 (a new dedicated Global Wellness Economy: South Korea report is available for download.) South Korea Wellness Sector Annual Growth 2020-2022 with 2022 ValuationPhysical Activity: +11%, $29.68B Personal Care & Beauty: +3.5%, $24.87B Healthy Eating, Nutrition & Weight Loss: -0.5%, $13.49B Traditional & Complementary Medicine: +2.7%, $13.46B Public Health, Prevention & Personalized Medicine: +44.6%, $13.40B Wellness Real Estate: +16.5%, $8.37B Wellness Tourism: +11.3%, $5.43B Mental Wellness: +7.2%, valued at $2.86B Spas: +16.2%, valued at $1.55B Workplace Wellness: -3.6, $1.15B Thermal/Mineral Springs: +13.3%, $0.58B Living Well in South Korea Wellness in South Korea is a blend of centuries-old traditions and modern science and technology, in an environment rich in natural resources. Korean cuisine—with its vast variety of kimchi (fermented vegetables), banchan (side dishes), fresh seafood and vegan options—has already taken the world by storm. Wellness practices such as sauna and hot springs bathing, meditation, martial arts (taekwondo and taekgyeon), herbal and medicinal teas, acupuncture and moxibustion (a technique of burning herbal moxa cones to warm acupuncture points) are widely adopted for health maintenance and healing. Living well in South Korea today also means adopting modern fitness routines, accessing digital wellness tools, practicing skincare rituals, and accessing diverse cosmetic and beauty options popularly known across the world as K-beauty. Key Wellness Experiences in South Korea With its vast mountain ranges and surrounded by seas on three sides, South Korea offers a phenomenal natural setting for all types of wellness activities and holidays, from hot springs bathing, to hiking, to water sports; from mountain and seaside resorts to meditation retreats and temple stays. One can sample mountain herbs, temple cuisine, and traditional Korean dishes that can help promote blood circulation and warmth in cold weather. Its metropolises offer wellness amenities from spa and beauty to fitness, to traditional and complementary medicine. Visitors may want to try a mindful tea ceremony, or immerse in Korean bathing traditions at natural hot springs as well as communal baths and saunas, a social and family-friendly experience. Therme Group’s collaboration with GWI is pivotal in showcasing South Korea on the global stage. Stelian Iacob, senior vice president of Therme Group, remarked: “South Korea has rich and varied wellbeing traditions and a high-growth wellness economy. We are committed to enhancing the wellbeing of South Korea’s residents and visitors, and this research provides vital data for the industry. The research shows that people are rediscovering the health benefits of thermal bathing and wellness therapies, and we look forward to working with local partners to bring our unique wellbeing resort experience to the region.” To learn more about South Korea’s wellness economy, visit its dedicated Geography of Wellness page on the GWI website.

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  • Global News

  2024-02-16

• Global Wellness Summit Releases 10 Wellness Trends for 2024

  The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) has released its annual Future of Wellness report, the longest-running, most in-depth (120-page) forecast of what will make waves in wellness in the year ahead. In the 20-plus years this trends team has been analyzing the wellness space, there have been more shakeups in 2023 than in the last decade. There certainly is momentum: the global market will grow from $5.6 trillion today to $8.5 trillion by 2027—with countless surveys revealing that wellness has never been such an important priority for people as now. But what kind of wellness matters—and for whom—is undergoing serious transformation. Generational, income, and gender gaps are widening in culture, and they’re creating a wellness landscape increasingly defined by very different—even contradictory—markets and mindsets. The GWS calls these polarized wellness markets “hardcare” and “softcare.” “Hardcare” describes the new hyper-medical, high-tech, even more expensive wellness market. “Softcare” captures the new desires for a low-pressure, simpler, less expensive, less relentlessly self-optimizing wellness, where emotional and social wellbeing matter most. This trends report illustrates how there is no longer one wellness narrative or unifying trend. The future is both “harder” and “softer” care, and that polarity will only widen. Themes in the report: More “hardcare”—from longevity clinics to weight loss drugs, medicine is muscling in: The speed at which medicine is invading the wellness market is astounding. One trend explores how the quest for longevity will continue to dominate the health/wellness space, with highly-medical, high-cost longevity clinics becoming the new business genre, offering everything from advanced diagnostics to stem cell treatments. Equally astounding is how fast new weight-loss drugs have upended behavior-change-focused wellness businesses, whether dieting platforms or resorts. Our trend analyzes these drugs’ impact, how wellness businesses quickly pivoted to prescribe Big Pharma’s magic “pricks,” and how the future is the wellness market delivering a healthier, more comprehensive weight-loss approach. More “softcare”—more low-fi, ancient, social, emotional, deeply human wellness: The media has been covering how younger gens (especially women) are pushing back against this last decade of high-pressure, uber-commodified wellness, and recasting true wellness as a messier, more joyful, simpler and cheaper affair. New desires for a simpler, more profound wellness drive one of our top travel trends of the year: how a record number of revitalized pilgrimage trails worldwide are luring new generations to the most ancient, slow, communal and spiritual form of travel. And if wellness has been complicit in clichéd views of masculinity (only focused on the physical), another trend explores how wellness will finally take a more human approach to men, with a wave of retreats, small groups, and apps focused on men’s social and emotional wellbeing. Wellness will tackle serious crises, from climate threats to women’s health: With temperatures breaking records each year, one trend explores a new “climate-adaptive wellness,” a surge in solutions that can cool our homes, cities and bodies. And since solving for grossly-ignored women’s health issues is now a heartbeat of wellness, another trend explores how desperately-needed innovation in postpartum care for new moms (and dads) is ahead—from post-birth retreats to new mental health apps. New tech, new wellness categories: Several trends illustrate how wellness technology innovation is going into overdrive. One explores how our homes are becoming high-tech health hubs, with everything from medical-grade diagnostic systems, to smart furnishings that make wellbeing adjustments in real-time. Technologies such as generative AI are also fueling a new era of “wellness art.” If experiencing art has always been a passive affair, a new wave of art experiences at museums, resorts and public spaces is turning it into a deeply multisensory, immersive experience, expressly designed to boost your mental wellbeing. TEN WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2024: Climate-Adaptive Wellness With an increasingly heat-crushed planet, bringing massive physical and mental health risks, we will see a new “climate-adaptive wellness”: a wave of innovations that can cool our bodies, homes and cities. We simply cannot keep air conditioning more of the world: it’s erasing climate change progress. Cooling approaches—from the cutting-edge to the ancient—will be the burning issue in architecture and design. We’ll see more green space, tree cover, and rooftop gardens; high-tech building materials and heat-reflective paint for roads and roofs; and heat-fighting design from historically broiling places like the Middle East. Cities are re-thinking everything, building cooling centers and public pools, with many rushing to clean up their waterways to let people do wild swimming, an incredible line of defense. Smart-tech cooling clothing will go mainstream, as will wearables that monitor the body’s heat indicators, from core temp to hydration to electrolytes. There is even a new “climate-adaptive” beauty trend rising. Our baking planet is disrupting travel, with people moving away from traditional “hotspots,” trading beaches and deserts for mountains, the Mediterranean for Scandinavia, and summer vacations for fall or spring ones, in a move towards what’s being called “cool-cations.” So much will change in the traditional wellness space, from a new focus on hot/cold therapy’s role in the body’s thermoregulation to the rise of (cooler) “night-time wellness” programming at hotels and resorts, from star-gazing to full-moon yoga. The Power of the Pilgrimage One silver lining that came out of the pandemic gloom is that people all around the world rediscovered the simple joys and health benefits that come from walking, and a purposeful connection with nature. Today, walking enthusiasts are dramatically expanding their horizons by exploring ancient pilgrimage trails, fueling a global trend as record numbers of travelers take up multi-day hikes infused with spiritual exploration and cultural heritage in countries around the world. While nearly half a million pilgrims completed the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain in 2023 (a new record), scores of modern pilgrims were also drawn to off-the-beaten-path sites in Japan, such as the Shikoku 88 and the Michinoku Coastal trails, as well as buzzy pilgrimage destinations in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, India and Italy, all of which have undergone extensive restorations thanks to government efforts to promote holistic tourism. From a wellness perspective, this trend has serious legs: a pilgrimage is a metaphor for the path to enlightenment, engendering slow, meditative travel, and facilitating deeper engagement with our surroundings to foster a sense of awe. It also produces unexpected encounters with strangers that lead to a deeper perspective on the place of our “self” in a very big world. Savvy resorts are now looking to pilgrimages, offering wellness programs that incorporate journeys between sacred sites, participation in religious services such as meditating with monks or almsgiving, and providing access to ceremonies once attainable only after years of experience on the path to enlightenment. From Manning Up to Opening Up Wellness has long provided a space for women to open up, explore their emotions, and build community, but the same can’t be said for men. They’ve either been left out of the equation or, when included, the wellness offerings they’ve been served have reinforced a clichéd view of masculinity—from warrior-like fitness challenges to tough-guy biohacks. At the same time, shifting gender roles and a societal revolt against old-school masculinity have left men without a rulebook for what it means to “be a man” today. A cultural shift is underway. As the dire consequences of rising male loneliness are exposed, the wellness industry is responding with a new wave of solutions designed to help men reconnect with themselves and with one another. One example is the rise of men’s retreats like EVRYMAN and Junto, where unlearning stoicism and authentically sharing your feelings is the name of the game; another example is the new mental health apps designed specifically by and for men. In this trend, we explore how these so-called “softer” forms of wellness will serve as a much-needed catalyst for male connection. Looking further ahead, we anticipate that social and emotional wellness offerings for men will become more nuanced, more evenly distributed across all stages of life, and more global. The Rise of Postpartum Wellness Following childbirth, new parents typically find themselves in a care “desert”: all the attention is on the baby, and the medical system largely abandons them. While giving birth is a massive physical event, and new parenthood often entails serious mental health challenges, postpartum care has been grossly ignored. Change is here: a new, comprehensive postpartum wellness is now taking many directions. Cultures around the world have postpartum retreat traditions for the mom and baby (from Korea’s sanjujori to Latin America’s la cuarantena) that focus on deep rest, healthy food, baby-care education, massage and therapeutic bathing for the birthing parent. Increasingly, posh postpartum retreats are delivering precious days and weeks of postpartum recovery (at a price)—whether at Boram Postnatal Retreat in New York City or Kai Singapore. With postpartum depression rates rising globally, governments and corporations are taking action, while new apps are addressing the mental health of new parents (such as Mavida Health, offering a whole slate of therapy and counseling). More femtech startups are dedicated to postpartum care across the spectrum—from C-section recovery services to a boom in pelvic floor care products/services (so crucial to postpartum health). The wellness consumer goods market has exploded with options, from postpartum skincare to supplements, while brands are also destigmatizing sexual wellness post-birth. True postpartum wellness would mean a dramatic change in the current post-birth experience, with access to an integrated medical and wellness team that could deliver a holistic, empathetic approach to support new parents’ physical and emotional wellbeing, including education, proper nutrition, physical therapy and pain-focused therapies. The future needs to make what’s offered in the new, luxe postpartum retreats only a few can afford available to all. Longevity Has Longevity The speed at which longevity has seized the biotech, health and wellness spaces in the last year is staggering. No mere “trend,” it’s the new industry pillar, the lens to reexamine everything we do, and an entire interconnected “economy” pegged to be worth $610 billion by 2025. Driven by an aging population seeking a longer healthspan and a medical establishment still not focused on prevention, longevity is here for the long game and will only ramp up in 2024. So, we bring you two reports with different vantage points. The first, from Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD, clinical professor at UCSF School of Medicine, identifies the eight key areas of research driving the practical applications of longevity science—including personalized plans grounded in genetic, epigenetic and biomarker testing; research on senolytics (drugs that can remove senescent cells); telomere regeneration; nutrigenomics; and a new AI/GPT-driven healthcare. It provides a much-needed framework for what matters in what’s become a Wild West of longevity solutions. The second report explores the longevity boom from the perspective of the wellness industry, and how the highly-medical, high-tech (and high-priced) longevity clinic is the fastest-growing business genre, with over 1,000 clinics worldwide. Most offer advanced diagnostic testing (biomarker, genetic, hormonal, full-body MRIs, etc.), to identify issues before they become a problem, such as Fountain Life (whose heartbeat is AI-powered diagnostics) or Human Longevity Inc. (with genomics testing at its core). Others offer experimental, less-proven approaches such as stem cell treatments and plasma exchange—and the usual biohacking/recovery treatments (IV drips, cryotherapy, ozone therapy, etc.)—but now in the name of longevity. More high-end gyms (such as Saint Haven in Melbourne) are becoming full-blown longevity clinics, offering work-ups (preventative diagnostic testing, scans, etc.) along with their workouts. If wellness resorts have been more about “soul” than scans and stem cells, now a growing number are becoming highly-medical longevity destinations. Powerhouse medical-longevity players such as Spain’s SHA Wellness and Switzerland’s Clinique La Prairie are on the march, the latter planning 40 new urban “longevity hubs.” Soulful brand Six Senses is opening medical-longevity clubs (called Rosebar), with everything from epigenetic testing to stem cell therapy. More wellness resorts, like Italy’s Borgo Egnazia and Thailand’s Kamalaya Koh Samui, will embrace lo-fi longevity, offering Blue Zones retreats that get their guests connecting, cooking and moving like the people who live the longest in the world. In 2024, a further avalanche of clinics, travel destinations and tools will try to help you live longer and better. But we’ll also start asking some hard questions. About access: with uber-expensive clinics/solutions, are we entering a future where only the poor age? How can most people afford to live to 130? What is the impact of a “never die” mindset on our mental health and on the death-acceptance movement? A Wellness Check for Weight Loss Drugs The wellness industry was shaken up with the arrival of Big Pharma’s new, extremely effective GLP-1-inhibiting weight-loss drugs, the Ozempics and Mounjaros. They upended traditional behavior-change approaches to weight loss, recasting weight loss as a matter of biology rather than psychology and “willpower.” They quickly created challenges for behavior-change-focused businesses, whether dieting platforms, gyms, or wellness resorts. A big driver of the wellness market has always been weight loss, once more explicitly, and now more tacitly, as it became a dirty word after hard-fought body positivity gains. The new “magic pricks” quickly ripped open the weight loss Pandora’s box, and their impact on the world and wellness world will only become more intense in 2024. The number of people taking them has skyrocketed, resulting in ongoing global shortages. At least 70 new drugs are in development, with new, cheaper, very effective ones like Zepbound hitting the market this year. With people clamoring for the drugs, the trend covers how more wellness/health companies quickly pivoted to the (profitable) path of prescribing them, whether direct-to-consumer telemedicine brands like Ro or Found, or weight-loss platforms like WW (formerly Weight Watchers) and Noom. There is so much debate around the drugs and the companies making such moves. Proponents argue they could end the global obesity epidemic and save millions of lives; critics question their long-term health impacts, how they reinforce discriminatory ideals that “thin equals healthy,” and that, while they’re super-effective, they cannot deliver holistic health: exercise, healthy food, mental wellness, are still needed. In 2024, we predict the wellness world will start to interrogate how it could actually provide (not in name only) more honest, fully integrative, whole-health weight-loss approaches (spanning everything from nutrition coaching to fitness to mental health services to advanced metabolic health analysis), while also creating specific “wellness companion” programs for the drug-takers. The future: evidence-based methods that could help get people off these “forever” drugs and that specifically improve their health while on them. Sports Finds Its Footing in Hospitality After decades of fitness meaning lonely solo sessions at the gym, more people globally are embracing social, empowering sports (see: the pickleball explosion)—and more people want to train like near-elite athletes. At the same time, pro, collegiate, and even competitive junior athletes, constantly traveling to compete, have sorely lacked hospitality destinations that deliver wellness, recovery treatments and state-of-the-art gym equipment. It’s strange how much “sports” has been left out of the hospitality equation, but that’s now changing. Hospitality destinations are answering the call with everything from pro trainers to pro-level facilities—and if the global sports hospitality market was last valued at $4.75 billion, we think it will boom. More high-end wellness destinations are catering to recreational athletes who are serious about their sport, letting guests train and learn from their sports idols. Body Holiday in St. Lucia now features nine sports-themed months, led by pro athletes like NFL star Randy Moss and Olympians like Daley Thompson, Alix Klineman and Angie Akers, to let people up their running, swimming, and crewing game. In 2024, Aman Resorts is unveiling fitness, performance and recovery retreats led by five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova. New hospitality brands are squarely aimed at elite athletes, offering nth-degree wellness, fitness and recovery programming. Equinox Hotels plans 33 properties, and will next open in Saudi Arabia’s extraordinary Amaala wellness destination, with a pro-level gym, personal trainers, brain-stimulating tech to boost performance, and the full recovery menu, from cryo chambers to on-demand IV drips. Siro, a mind-blowing fitness and recovery hotel concept, opening its first property SIRO One Za’abeel next month in Dubai, optimizes everything (from rooms to food) for athletes of all levels, but is especially aimed at pros—from its vast gym designed by Olympic athletes to its incredible Recovery Lab. Sports tourism (people traveling to watch events) is a massive market, but more destinations are moving people from spectators to sports participants. The 2024 Paris Olympics will host a pre-Games marathon for regular folks so they can experience the thrill of the course. This summer’s Tour de France will, for the first time, open up new cycling routes near the course, so biking enthusiasts can jump in. Hospitality groups are thinking beyond “training like an athlete” and actually organizing competitive play: swimmers, runners, and tennis and pickleball players really want to compete with people at their level. So, in 2024, add a new category to the tourism lexicon: sports-meets-wellness travel. The Home as Highest-Tech-Health-Hub Wellness-focused homes have been a megatrend for years, with a big focus on amenities like meditation rooms and cold plunge pools. Now homes, and even cities, are becoming highest-tech, multifaceted health hubs. The shift is unprecedented, involving everything from the rise of medical-grade home health-monitoring systems to smart furnishings that adjust in real-time to individual wellbeing needs. In a post-pandemic era marked by increased time spent at home, health-at-home is taking bold new directions. The trend includes “Home Health Care,” where homes are becoming advanced “outpatient” care centers powered by digital health services—from fully-integrated telehealth to new health monitoring and diagnostic technology, reducing reliance on in-person interactions with practitioners. There is so much innovation in using M-health (mobile health) for home healthcare. For example, the just-released foneDX (from electronRX) uses existing smartphone sensors and a user interface app to measure a person’s critical heart and lung health right at home. In the next five years, 45% of healthcare services are expected to be delivered at home. Cities are becoming high-tech health hubs. In Saudi Arabia’s hotly-anticipated new smart city NEOM (unfolding in 2025), the futuristic healthcare system Dr. NEOM continuously collects health data from the population and houses it in a “digital twin” file of every resident. With this wealth of information, the system can precisely customize health and wellness interventions, and even predict health issues before they occur. It’s the city-as-wearable. Sensory-enhanced design is moving far beyond wellness concepts like feng shui and biophilic interiors. A new generation of textiles mean the very fabrics surrounding us at home will come alive as interactive interfaces. Companies like Getsound.ai and Endel are creating personalized bio-soundscapes grounded in our real-time biometric and environmental data. Our homes will ultimately evolve into multifaceted ecosystems, merging advanced nanotechnology and empathetic architecture to create living spaces that capture our biometrics to create environments dynamically extending from our own psyches. The home as high-tech health hub is a futuristic trend within the wellness real estate sector, the fastest-growing wellness market of all: now worth $398 billion and forecast to grow to $887.5 billion by 2027. A New Multisensory, Immersive Art for Wellness Art used to be a passive experience: you stare at a painting, or have lunch next to a sculpture garden. But no more. As newly tech-enabled artists—powered by innovations such as generative AI, projection mapping and spatial sound technologies—bring their craft to the mainstream, we’re entering an era of multi-sensory, wildly immersive art. Beyond a simple gaze, this next-gen art allows us to engage all of our senses and to participate, and is expressly designed to transform our mental wellbeing. Museums, hotels and spas are incorporating more and more multisensory art experiences into their offerings and, in doing so, are prioritizing wellness as an integrated offering. Case in point: the Mandala Lab at the Rubin Museum in New York City combines video, scent, sculpture, and sound based on Buddhist principles into one holistic, spiritual exhibit. At the Termemilano spa in Milan, Italy, a video skyscape of stormy skies surrounds a hydro pool, creating an unmatched moody vibe. Six Senses resorts are creating multisensory somatic experiences, like bio-alchemy sculptures infused with scents, flotation experiences suffused with ocean sounds, or geodesic domes with vibroacoustic floors. Multisensory, immersive art is becoming incredibly widespread in public places. From installations that dot cityscapes to AI-driven art in hospitals that utilize facial screening software to deliver audio-visuals based on your emotions. In the future, as adoption of wearable technologies becomes widespread, generative artworks will become even more hyper-personalized, participatory and therapeutically effective. Adaptive art will continue to take hold and push the boundaries of what sensory immersion and art-as-wellness can mean. Under the Radar At each annual Global Wellness Summit, delegates from around the world gather for four days of top-level insights. Because of its global nature and collection of diverse thought-leaders from the health and wellness world, it’s an incubator of new ideas. Many of these new ideas were the springboard for trends in this report, but GWS Chair and CEO Susie Ellis always notes interesting new directions also discussed that might be under the radar now but have the potential to become trends. This year, for the first time, Susie shares some of her emerging themes to watch. One key theme was for the wellness world to work harder at destigmatizing mental health issues and at creating new solutions, given the skyrocketing global rates of mental unwellness. Simone Biles’ keynote framed this huge issue, chronicling how mental struggles necessitated her withdrawal from the 2020 Olympics, and calling for a world where you could wear a “helmet on your head” to safely signal mental issues just as a cast does for a broken leg. The need for more mental wellness solutions percolated across the Summit. Amy McDonald (CEO, Under a Tree Consultancy) argued that with teens worldwide struggling mightily with mental health, we must lower age limits at wellness centers and spas, so they can benefit from evidence-based healing treatments, and properties like Qatar’s Zulal Wellness Resort have already risen to the occasion. There were very new ideas, such as Anjan Chattergee, MD, professor of neurology, University of Pennsylvania’s research into “slow looking,” how looking at an art piece for 15 minutes (rather than a few seconds) results in eye-opening impact on the brain. Another mega theme: governments embracing more innovative, powerful wellness policies. “Un-GDP” was discussed, with more governments moving beyond money-focused—in favor of quality-of-life—metrics to gauge national wellbeing. Through world-leading health/wellness policies, Singapore has dramatically improved its citizens’ health and longevity, which is why it was just named the sixth Blue Zone. This marks a new future of “Blue Zones 2.0,” where communities actively engineer environments that make it “natural” to make healthy choices. Keynote speaker Sophie Howe, the first Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, explained the crucial role policy must play in protecting the lives and health of those who will be born 50 years from now. Deborah Birx, MD, introduced the concept of “wellness diplomacy,” which could bring a divisive world together to collaborate on prevention. As for other things to watch? Dive into the other under-the-radar themes.

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  • Global News

  2024-01-31

• Halal Certification Achieved: The Farm at San Benito Commended by the Department of Tourism for Inclusivity

  The Farm at San Benito proudly has announced its recent attainment of Halal certification, marking a significant step towards becoming a globally recognized inclusive healing sanctuary. The Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) commends The Farm at San Benito for its dedication to providing diverse and culturally sensitive experiences, creating a haven for all guests. “Having The Farm at San Benito as one of Department of Tourism’s partners in Halal and Muslim-friendly Tourism spells great news for the entire industry. The Farm offers a holistic wellness experience that is a reflection of our unique and vibrant national identity, and their efforts in keeping our Muslim brothers and sisters as top of mind is definitely commendable. We are hoping for more valuable partnerships, and for The Farm to be one of the flagbearers of the Filipino brand of Halal and Muslim-friendly Wellness Tourism,” said DOT Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderossa-Abubakar. In response to the increasing demand for Muslim-friendly destinations, The Farm at San Benito has not only achieved Halal certification for ALIVE! Vegan Restaurant but also as a Muslim-friendly accommodation destination offering villas for our Muslim brothers and sisters. The Farm aims to provide a harmonious balance between luxury, cultural sensitivity, and holistic well-being. The Department of Tourism, as well as the local government celebrate The Farm at San Benito's commitment to fostering inclusivity and applauds its innovative approach to creating a healing sanctuary for guests of all backgrounds. The resort's Muslim friendly certified villas stand as a testament to its dedication to providing an exceptional, culturally enriched, and inclusive experience.

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  • Global News

  2024-01-23

• The Global Wellness Economy Reaches a Record $5.6 Trillion—And It’s Forecast to Hit $8.5 Trillion by 2027

  How has the global wellness economy fared since the massive economic shocks of the pandemic? According to a new report released on 7th by the non-profit Global Wellness Institute (GWI)—the only authoritative, comprehensive source of wellness market data—the industry has made one powerful recovery. If the market was worth a record $4.9 trillion in 2019, and then shrank 11% to $4.4 trillion in the pandemic year of 2020, the research indicates that the wellness economy has seen recent, economy-defying momentum. It grew 27% since 2020 to reach $5.6 trillion, with 7 of the 11 wellness sectors now surpassing their 2019, pre-pandemic values. With consumers, the medical world, and governments now placing a much bigger value on prevention and wellness, the GWI forecasts that the wellness economy will grow at an impressive 8.6% annual pace through 2027, when the market will reach $8.5 trillion—nearly double its 2020 size. “We are surprised by the resiliency of the global wellness economy, and how quickly it has bounced back from the pandemic. It has exceeded our own expectations and forecasts,” said Katherine Johnston, GWI senior research fellow. “If the pandemic disrupted industry momentum in the short term, it has simultaneously created a dramatic shift in the long-term opportunities and trajectory for wellness.” “The Global Wellness Economy 2023” is packed with insights: numbers and analysis for all 11 wellness sectors, regional data, the top-20 national markets for each wellness sector, while exploring the major shifts and trends that will impact each wellness market in the future. The GWI has announced it will now release a Global Wellness Economy Report annually, at each Global Wellness Summit. Its “Country Rankings Report,” companion research providing market size, rankings, analysis, and per capita wellness spending for 150 nations, will be released on January 30, 2024.

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  • Global News

  2023-11-08

• The Global Wellness Summit Relocates 2023 Annual Conference to Miami, FL, Ensuring the Safety and Continuity of Event

  Hyatt Regency Miami The Global Wellness Summit (GWS), the most prestigious conference on the $4.4 trillion business of wellness, has announced the relocation of its highly anticipated, 17th annual conference. In light of recent developments and growing concerns surrounding instability in the Middle East region, GWS has made the difficult but necessary decision to relocate the 2023 event from Doha, Qatar to Miami, Florida. Despite the change in location to the Grand Hyatt Miami, the dates for the Summit remain unchanged, taking place from November 6-9, 2023. “The decision to move the conference to Miami comes in response to recent developments in the Middle East region and with the safety of delegates, speakers, team members, and partners in mind,” said Nancy Davis, chief creative officer & executive director at GWS. “This decision was made in close coordination with Msheireb Properties, our host sponsors in Qatar, and we appreciate all they are doing to make this transition as smooth as possible. We look forward to bringing the Summit to Qatar in the next couple of years.” GWS is grateful for the continued support and understanding of all stakeholders involved and looks forward to welcoming participants to the vibrant city of Miami. Delegates can expect the same robust three-day agenda, including in-person conversations with headliners such as Simone Biles, the world’s greatest gymnast, who will share how a focus on mental wellness is the key to her extraordinary resilience and success, and Grammy Award-winning producer and artist, Timbaland, who will share his powerful wellness journey. For more information or to register for the 2023 Global Wellness Summit, please visit www.globalwellnesssummit.com.

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  • Global News

  2023-10-18

실시간 Global News 기사

• CHARGE Wellness & Hypnotherapy Center Promotes Awareness for Mental Health

  May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and CHARGE Wellness & Hypnotherapy Center, a Dubai-based wellness center marks the campaign by introducing a new method to promote overall mental well-being, combining Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) in the therapy session. “These two powerful tools can be combined to enhance the effectiveness of therapy. The combination of hypnotherapy and NLP can be particularly effective for addressing a variety of mental health concerns, including self-limiting beliefs, addiction, feeling stuck, phobias, feeling overwhelmed, lifestyle management, and self-esteem to name a few,” according to Silvina Joseph, a Canadian Certified Hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner and Founder of CHARGE Wellness & Hypnotherapy Center. A testimonial from one of CHARGE’s clients Patricia K in Dubai says: quote "I had an excellent session with Silvina who helped me better understand, manage & release my stress. I find her approach to be compassionate, insightful, and effective. She showed me a clear plan to move forward.” She added: “I have learned to identify my old ways of reacting to situations and through interrupting my old patterns I was able to engage with situations with new behaviors which results in creating effective solutions. This new way of dealing with life situations has had a significant positive impact on my life. I gained clarity and insight into the underlying causes of my stress through Silvina's thoughtful questioning and active listening. I always leave our sessions feeling empowered and better equipped to cope with life's challenges using the tools I learned during our sessions.” Hypnotherapy is a proven method for treating a variety of issues, including weight loss, feeling worried or overwhelmed, lack of joy and interest in daily activities that were once enjoyable, sadness, feeling emptiness or feeling down, smoking cessation, self-empowerment, and much more. Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP is a type of therapy that focuses on the language and communication patterns that individuals use to create their perception of the world. By identifying and changing these patterns, individuals can improve their emotional and mental well-being. A hypnotherapist using NLP techniques guides an individual through a hypnosis session to identify negative thought patterns and positively reframe them. This can lead to improvements in mood, self-esteem, and overall well-being. “By accessing the subconscious mind and changing negative thought patterns, individuals can develop more positive and adaptive coping strategies, leading to improved mental and emotional health,” explains Joseph. Mental health is becoming a growing priority in society. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), funding for mental health research and treatment has increased, and more companies are implementing mental health support programs for their employees. CHARGE Wellness & Hypnotherapy Center is revolutionizing corporate wellness programs with their innovative therapy approach in a group setting, aimed at promoting employee well-being, productivity, and work-life balance. The workshops are tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual, with a focus on enhancing confidence, eliminating self-limiting beliefs, overcoming procrastination, and maintaining motivation. Utilizing conversational hypnosis and NLP techniques, the group sessions and exercises are conducted in an experiential style, providing employees with practical tools and strategies to achieve the desired outcomes. Through this unique approach, CHARGE Wellness & Hypnotherapy Center has helped employees achieve tangible results that positively impact both their professional and personal lives, as well as the work environment. With increased confidence and productivity, employees are better equipped to meet the demands of their jobs and maintain a healthy work-life balance. The result is a happier, more engaged workforce, contributing to a positive and thriving workplace culture. CHARGE Wellness & Hypnotherapy Center is proud to be at the forefront of this revolution in corporate wellness, delivering real results and transforming the lives of employees. With the growing awareness and recognition of the importance of mental health in individuals and society as a whole, CHARGE Wellness & Hypnotherapy Center hopes to support and assist those who are looking to achieve, maintain and improve health, happiness, and paths to success. “With this approach to therapy individuals can achieve greater emotional resilience and positive change in their lives that reflect positively in all aspects of their social, personal, and work life,” concludes Joseph. To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, Charge Wellness & Hypnotherapy Center is offering a 30-minute FREE consultation throughout May. During the consultation, individuals will have the opportunity to discuss their specific needs and learn more about how hypnotherapy and NLP can help. Sessions are conducted in the clinics in Jumeirah and Barsha Heights.

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  • Global News

  2023-04-27

• Hong Kong to Host Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023

  Asia’s very best bartenders and drinks industry talent will gather in Hong Kong this July as the city hosts Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony, one of the region’s most authoritative and prestigious surveys of cocktail tastes and trends. For its 2023 edition, the annual awards have partnered with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to bring the event to the city for the very first time on 18 July 2023.“We are delighted to host this year’s edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars in July, one of the region’s most significant celebrations of hospitality, which further affirms Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s foremost hub for cocktail experiences. We look forward to inspiring the region’s best bar talent with what Hong Kong has to offer,” Dr Pang Yiu-kai, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, says.Mark Sansom, Director of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Bars, says, “We are very excited to host the awards in Hong Kong this year. The city has one of the most dynamic and diverse bar scenes in Asia, and despite tight border controls in the last three years, it continues to lead with amazingly innovative bar experiences. By bringing the biggest event on Asia’s bar calendar to Hong Kong, we hope to shine the spotlight back on the city’s vibrant nightlife and contribute to driving travel and tourism.”Hong Kong is a breeding ground for cocktail-making talent and an ideal location for exchange of ideas among industry leaders. Eight Hong Kong bars are featured on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022. In the top three, two of which are bars proudly born and bred in Hong Kong, including Mexican-inspired bar COA in the No.1 spot, and Argo, at No.3, which serves creative cocktails using Asian-sourced ingredients.

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  • Global News

  2023-04-14

• International Digital Wellness Day to be Celebrated Globally on May 5, 2023

  The Digital Wellness Institute is pleased to bring you the fourth inaugural Digital Wellness Day on May 5, 2023. Last year, Digital Wellness Day reached 7 million people in 36 countries worldwide and this year, over 15 million are expected to participate in virtual and in-person gatherings across the globe. The mission of Digital Wellness Day is to provide free, research-based resources to support wellbeing in the digital era. This global movement and international holiday represents a time to “practice a pause” and optimize our relationship with technology in different areas ranging from mental health to productivity, workplace wellbeing, and beyond. On Digital Wellness Day, a growing network of 400+ Digital Wellness Educators, impact partners, and sponsors will host activations. A year-round educational toolkit is publicly available for diverse audiences to engage in mobilizing their own educational posts and events. Access the toolkit at www.digitalwellnessday.com. The day highlights the connective power of social media and digital devices, allowing participants to connect across countries. To this end, the toolkit features an approach of Digital Flourishing®: a positive psychology-based, mindful approach to technology usage that empowers individuals to take advantage of the benefits of technology while avoiding associated harms like zoom fatigue, negative social comparison, and more. On this day of celebration and reflection, the Digital Wellness Institute will also announce the first Certified Digitally Well University™ and first Certified Digitally Well Company™ in the world, setting a precedent for others to follow. These two entities will receive recognition for their dedication to and leadership in bringing positive digital practices to their communities through evidence-based interventions, assessment, and education. Additional information on how digital wellness principles have been integrated at these entities and how others may do the same will be available at www.digitalwellnessinstitute.com. Nina Hersher, Executive Director of Digital Wellness Day, shares her excitement for this celebration, “The purpose of this day is to inspire and empower individuals to take control of their relationship with technology. By stepping back to reflect on when, where, why and how we are engaging with devices, we can harness their power in a way that fuels versus fatigues us. This knowledge is integral to the Digital Wellness movement – where each of us can become an embodied change agent toward a culture of digital flourishing.” For anyone interested in hosting a virtual event celebrating Digital Wellness Day, partnering as a global sponsor, or learning more about keynotes, trainings and certifications through the Digital Wellness Institute, please contact info@digitalwellnessday.com.

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  • Global News

  2023-04-13

• Stirling Hospitality Advisors Reveals Key Trends Shaping the GCC Wellness Tourism Sector

  Wellness-centric travelers are inclined to spend more money, return more often, and stay longer at a property Wellness-centric travelers are inclined to spend more money, return more often, and stay longer at a property than average travelers, contributing to a more stable occupancy and improved profitability. The aging population, environmental crisis, and lifestyle changes have led wellness to become the center of consumer decision-making, propelling the industry into rapid expansion with a forecasted yearly growth rate of over 10% globally, doubling the value to a staggering USD 1.97 trillion by 2031.propelling the industry into rapid expansion with a forecasted yearly growth rate of over 10% globally, doubling the value to a staggering USD 1.97 trillion by 2031. Wellness lifestyle real estate developments, despite having higher development costs, result in significant sales price premiums averaging between 10.0% to 30.0% due to the associated perceptions of a wellness lifestyle. Stirling Hospitality Advisors (SHA), one of the leading boutique advisory institutions in the region, highlights key trends shaping the GCC wellness tourism industry. For decades, travelers have regularly enjoyed massages and yoga retreats in traditional spa facilities, but when the pandemic hit, wellness took a new urgency and became a priority for many. In response to these supercharged demands, the wellness industry shifted its marketing buzzword from “pampering” to “preventive”, giving integrative and medical wellness a strong momentum across the globe. Not only top-tier hotel operators, but more destinations are also incorporating holistic and advanced wellness treatments promoting timeless health and beauty for body, mind, and soul, hoping to get a piece of the multi-trillion-dollar pie. Tatiana Veller, Stirling’s Managing Director, elaborated, “With all the advantages of catering to wellness-centric travelers, including a significantly higher RevPAR and profitability compared to the traditional luxury hotels/resorts, major hotel operators will continue to go after the wellness tourism market. However, as their main business is to sell rooms, the wellness offerings will mostly be another wellness-washing product”. The continuum of wellness landscape ranges from day spas (e.g. Caudalie, Spa by Clarins), to traditional resort/hotel spas (e.g. The Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons) offering standard recreational/pampering wellness services as part of the lodging’s facilities, to destination spa resorts (e.g. Six Senses, Como) providing more well-rounded wellness packages. At a higher spectrum are integrative wellness resorts (e.g. Chiva-Som, Canyon Ranch) which provide broader treatment offerings with more advanced technologies and specialists, and medical wellness resorts (SHA Wellness Clinic, Clinique La Prairie) which operate under full-time on-site supervision of licensed healthcare professionals and may even perform minimally invasive treatments. Wellness Tourism Performance Indicators For a decade, MENA’s wellness tourism grew at a remarkable average annual rate of 13.3%, yet it only accounts for 1% of total trips whilst generating 2% of total revenue of global wellness tourism. In the Middle East, traditional hotel/resort spas account for 39.7% of the total market revenue and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.5% until 2025. Medical wellness is gaining momentum globally and is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 15.1% until 2025, 1.2x faster than hotel spas and 1.3x faster than day spas. Historically, international wellness travelers spent more than 50% above the average international travelers, and domestic wellness travelers command double premium. The Untapped Potential Ingo Schweder, CEO of GOCO Hospitality, shared his insights during the interview with Stirling, “The GCC has to date no dedicated medical wellness resort. Currently, clients from the region frequent the Far East, including Thailand and India predominantly as well as Indonesia and Japan to a smaller extent. Many GCC clients are also found between spring and fall across main European wellness centers in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and France, representing 8-15% of the total guest share. However, we are working on 7 dedicated wellness projects in the KSA alone, i.e. Amaala, NEOM, Red Sea, soon UAE and expect to expand our reach further. Thus, this should change in the not-so-distant future”. It is evident that the rising popularity of medical wellness resorts offers an untapped potential in the region which presents a niche that investors should further evaluate. Qatar’s Zulal Wellness Resort by Chivasom which opened its doors in April 2022 is MENA’s first and only integrated wellness resort and the world’s first wellness destination to blend Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine (TAIM) with a holistic wellness approach. Until then, Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman, a destination spa resort, served as an example of a more rounded wellness program focusing on soft wellness retreats, delivering a holistic wellness experience while not being as restrictive or highly specialized as other wellness retreats worldwide. Destination spa resorts on average generate only 20%-30% of total room revenue from holistic wellness packages, unlike integrative or medical wellness where the accommodation revenue is generated purely through the retreat/treatment packages as part of the wellness facilities. Stirling’s research shows that besides the apparent differences in expertise and wellness program offerings, the key differentiators between global integrative/medical wellness resorts and MENA traditional luxury resorts lie in the extensiveness of the property’s wellness infrastructure. Integrative/medical wellness resorts have 1 treatment room for every 3 guest rooms and wellness facilities that are on average 2.5 times larger, compared to MENA’s traditional luxury resorts which have 1 treatment room for every 20 guest rooms with higher room inventory and diverse F&B options. These differences suggest that these luxury resorts focus on selling rooms and provide a recreational or pampering experience, rather than a wellness-centric journey. Sustainability meets Wellness Immersive wellness resorts also incorporate sustainability into all their core values. Last year, SHA Wellness Clinic was awarded Green Globe Sustainability Certification, reflecting its core value in sustainability. Respect for the environment is one of SHA Wellness Clinic’s founding values and is present from the very construction of the building, which was adapted to the typology of the land to minimize environmental impact. Christopher Ford, Head of Asset Management at Red Sea Global KSA, added, “Today, wellness is one of the fastest-growing segments of the luxury travel market, with our target audience research showing that 75% of luxury travelers want vacations that cater for their overall well-being and provide fun activities at the same time. We are partnering with leading wellness hotel brands such as Clinique La Prairie and Jayasom to offer our guests advanced longevity programs and state-of-the-art health and wellness treatments.” Both properties will be located in Amaala, Saudi Arabia’s wellness-focused giga-project along the Red Sea. Amaala is powered by 100% renewable energy and will have a zero-carbon footprint with zero waste to landfill once fully operational. Is Stirling optimistic about the future of Wellness Tourism? Absolutely. Integrative and medical wellness resorts are the fastest-growing trend in the wellness industry today and will continue to be in the next decade. Bearing in mind that being in the business requires careful planning to ensure a safe, operationally efficient, and results-driven environment, it is highly recommended that an experienced consultant be hired to guide the owners and operators into a successful venture. Erni Wijaya, Asset Manager at Stirling, concluded, “Although to date most integrative and medical wellness resorts attract more affluent guests, it is believed that the pandemic has encouraged a shift and opened a new market at a lower price point in the future. Stirling is confident that when done right, a wellness-centric establishment brings enormous values and benefits for all the stakeholders involved, - from owners, clients, employees and community to the destination, the environment, and the world at large”.

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  • Global News

  2023-04-04

• Global Wellness Summit Releases Annual Report: 12 Wellness Trends for 2023

  Wellness tackles loneliness, with a surge in social spaces, clubs and concepts; with a critique of wellness as cultural appropriator, wellness travel goes hyper-indigenous. We move from murky “clean beauty” to science-backed biotech beauty–from shallow to meaningful workplace wellness. Multisensory experiences boom; wellness remakes the urban landscape, and people jump into the world’s “wild waters” The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) has recently released its annual “Future of Wellness” report, the longest-running, most in-depth (160-pages) and only truly global forecast of the newest directions in wellness. The 12 wellness trends for 2023 were unveiled on January 31 at a media event in New York City. A few themes emerge: Radically different consumer values. The trends show a profound shift in consumer values coming out of the pandemic: from a rejection of a “self-obsessed” wellness to a demand for science and solutions that work. If in this last decade-plus, wellness led with two lonely models—a sea of “self-care” products and “digital wellness”— the trend “Wellness Comes for the Loneliness Epidemic” details the many ways that the wellness world (and wider world) is finally tackling the biggest missing cornerstone in health: social wellness, with a surge in new spaces, community models and concepts that put human connection at the very center. With a critique of wellness as a relentless cultural appropriator, one trend details how wellness travel will shift from “global smorgasbord” to Indigenous wellness at the source. In “Workplace Wellness Finally Starts to Mean Something,” we see how fed-up employees, worsening mental health, and remote work mean “workplace wellness” is finally moving from false promise to meaningful plan of action. Science is King. “From ‘Clean’ to Biotech Beauty” reveals how we’re moving beyond clean beauty’s often muddy claims to lab-tested, scientist-created “biotech beauty.” With so much misinformation about diets and metabolic health, one trend—written by a doctor—explores how transforming white fat into brown may be the obesity breakthrough. A Return to Wellness Roots—With a Difference. Various trends illustrate how we’re returning to some of the deepest roots of wellness, but with a radical reimagining. If wellness has always been a sensory affair, new directions in multisensory integration are emerging with light, scent, temperature, touch and sound being blended to create a dramatically new era for “sensory wellness.” If water is the foundation of spa, the “Blue, Hot and Wild” trend predicts that we’ll now be “taking the waters” in deepest nature, with an unprecedented global surge in new-look hot springs destinations—and wild and cross-country swimming going global. After three years of “touchless wellness” people hunger for sensory immersion. Wellness Impacts Serious New Sectors. Wellness has rewritten industries from fashion to real estate, and the report shows how it will now transform a couple of very serious, people-impacting sectors, including how a wellness lens is powerfully changing urban design and infrastructure; the opportunities hospitality brands see in embracing pro-level sports; and how wellness is becoming a much bigger focus of government policy. “Cast your mind back to 2019, the highwater mark of the hyper-consumerist, product-flooded wellness market, with so many evidence-challenged trends-a-minute,” said Susie Ellis, GWS Chair and CEO. “This report is proof that the wellness market of just three years ago suddenly feels archaic. Wellness in 2023 (and beyond) will be more serious and science-backed, but also more social and sensory.” The report emerges from the insights of hundreds of global executives from wellness companies, economists, doctors, investors, academics and technologists that gather each year at the Summit. This year, in addition to having leading journalists and analysts as authors, the trend-spotters include top experts in that field—whether doctors, economists, or urban futurists. The “Future of Wellness 2023” can be purchased here. Global Wellness Trends 2023 Summaries 1. Wellness + Gathering: Wellness Comes for the Loneliness Epidemic (by Beth McGroarty) We *know* loneliness is skyrocketing; that it kills; that the #1 predictor of health and happiness is relationships. But somehow, the recent uber-capitalist wellness market has led with two things: a sea of keep-them-spending “me time” products and “digital wellness”—both lonely journeys of “self-care.” The pandemic has proven to be the breaking point: the biggest wellness trend is new spaces and experiences that—intentionally and creatively—bring people together in real life, where social connection is the burning center of the concept. The future of wellness? A move from lonely to social self-care, from buying to belonging, from URL to IRL, from ego to empathy, from Goop to group. 2. Wellness + Travel: From Global Smorgasbord to Hyper-Indigenous (by Elaine Glusac) Wellness and wellness tourism have long resembled Disney’s “It’s a Small World,” buffets of global experiences typically divorced from place. Yoga, born in India, is ubiquitous worldwide; ayahuasca retreats have departed their Amazonian homelands; you can get a Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage in Dubai. But with a new critique of wellness as a profound cultural appropriator, a rising social justice movement, and greater emphasis on authenticity, travelers are now seeking much deeper cultural experiences and showing interest in going to the source of ancient healing and knowledge about how to care for the land and for themselves. Indigenous travel and going-to-the-cultural-source for wellness is our travel trend for 2023. 3. Wellness + Workplace: Workplace Wellness Finally Starts to Mean Something (by Skyler Hubler and Cecelia Girr) From protected time off to finally acknowledging women’s health needs, employee wellness is getting a much-needed rethink. Employers have been casually tossing around the word “wellness” since the 1980s. But four decades later, we have little to show for it. Worldwide, 70% of knowledge workers have experienced burnout in the past year, and a recent global study found that 38% of workers hate their jobs so much that they wouldn’t wish it on their worst enemy. Clearly, all those “workplace wellness” initiatives haven’t been working for us. But with the pandemic dramatically accelerating shifts in work models and the mental health crisis—and employees newly empowered—things are changing for the better. In this trend, we explore how superficial wellness at work schemes are being replaced with more meaningful solutions. 4. Wellness + Beauty: From “Clean” to Biotech Beauty (by Jessica Smith) As the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, one thing has become clear: science is king. In the world of beauty, the shift towards data-backed products has never been more evident. We’re seeing an about face from the conversation around “clean beauty” (with all its muddy claims) to a desire for lab-tested, science-backed and even lab-created products. In this trend, we look at the evolution from the greenwashing and false claims to today’s new—and welcomed—medical, bio-positive and tech-forward product development, and explore what the future might hold. 5. Wellness + Cities: Urban Infrastructure Just Might Save Cities (by Robbie Hammond and Omar Toro-Vaca) The role of the city has been reimagined countless times over the centuries (they’ve been trading posts, political and artistic centers, and recently, concrete jungles of retail and offices). But the pandemic served as a wake-up call on just how unwell our cities are, sparking a new recognition of the inextricable relationship between the health of the cities and the health of city dwellers. Global cities are now at another historical inflection point where they are rebuilding themselves around the wellness needs of their citizens. “Urban wellness infrastructure” is no longer perceived as a luxury—it’s a necessity. This trend examines diverse, creative ways that an urban wellness infrastructure—the melding of capital improvements and business opportunities that holistically address social, mental, and physical health—is being embraced all around the world as a solution for accelerating growth, fueling post-pandemic recovery, and cultivating healthier, happier citizens. 6. Wellness + Weight: The Skinny on Brown Fat and Eliminating Obesity (by Michael Roizen, MD) Harnessing the ability to live longer and “younger” is among the biggest trends in medicine and wellness today. Michael Roizen, MD, believes a crucial factor in the longevity quest is recognizing that not all fat is created equal, and transforming white/yellow fat into beige/brown fat has the potential to move the needle on one of the greatest health crises—obesity. The reason? Brown fat has increased mitochondrial density and burns lots of calories, while white fat is metabolically inefficient and doesn’t use much energy. Yes, moving white fat to brown powers weight loss, but obesity is a serious disease, a key factor in heart disease, cancers, dementia and more. 7. Wellness + Governments: The Case for Coming Together (by Thierry Malleret) Wellness policies have been years in the making, but in 2023 and beyond, they will evolve, multiply and strengthen. Governments *know* the crippling economic and societal costs that come when people don’t feel mentally and physically well. They *know* that unwellness shrinks the labor force while simultaneously hurting productivity—the worst possible combo for long-term economic growth. They *know* that preventative wellness saves public money because it always costs less than cure. 8. Wellness + Water: Blue, Hot, and Wild (by Jane Kitchen) The pandemic spurred a hunger for in-nature experiences that shows no signs of abating. But when we talk about the nature surge, we usually remain on terra firma. In 2023, people will jump into the world’s wild waters for some “blue wellness”—from an unprecedented global surge in new-look hot springs destinations to wild and cross-country swimming going global. 9. Wellness + Sports: New Business Models for Hospitality (by Lisa Starr) Savvy hospitality brands are responding to demands from wellness-focused clients looking beyond the basement gym, in search of pro-athlete-level equipment, fitness classes and wellness programming, whenever and wherever they travel. Some hotel brands are even creating facilities that cater to entire amateur or professional sports teams, expanding the function of the hotel and ensuring professional quality for the rest of us. We predict businesses that support this trend will become the go-to brands for future generations. 10. Wellness + Senses: Multisensory Integration (by Ari Peralta) Advances in neuroscience and neuroaesthetics confirm that, when combined, the senses elevate our human experience. Nature is multisensory and it turns out, so are we. The senses have always been present in wellness. In fact, we subconsciously associate many wellness activities with one sense or another… spa is touch, wellness music is sound, chromotherapy is color, healthy food is taste and thermal is temperature. This siloed approach is quickly changing in remarkable ways. Now brands are accessing multiple senses simultaneously to better support wellbeing outcomes, amplify wellness experience and influence behavioral change—think using multiple sensory cues, in a harmonious way to deepen meditation. 11. Wellness + Biohacking: The Wild, Wild West of Biohacking (by Marc Cohen, MD) Biohacking is the attempt to control biology and defy disease, decay and death so we can become superhuman. The idea is not new: our ancestors were masterful biohackers and developed low-tech hacks such as fasting, isolation, chanting, yoga, martial arts, body temperature manipulations, and traditional medicines to increase their health and wellbeing. However, there is a new trend in biohacking featuring technology that is staggering. Super-technologies such as AI, brain-computer interfaces, sensorless-sensing, CRISPR, xenobotics, nanobotics, probiotics, morphoceuticals, 3D-tissue-printing, cloud-computing and blockchain technologies allow us to manipulate molecules, modify genes, manage microbes, create living robots, regenerate body parts, seamlessly monitor and track health metrics, and manipulate our sensory inputs. 12. Wellness + Faith: Having Faith in Business (by Brian Grim) It’s not surprising that the pandemic led to a resurgence of faith. What is surprising is that the corporate world is embracing it. While diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in workplaces have focused on race, gender, sexual orientation and marginalized populations, one aspect that’s been strikingly left out of the conversation is now emerging: faith. As global workplaces become radically reshaped to address inclusivity, purpose and employee wellbeing, more companies are now tapping into the full identity of their employees by including religion as a full-fledged part of their DEI commitments—encouraging employees to form official (company-sponsored) groups around their faith, just as companies encourage women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ groups to do.

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  • Global News

  2023-02-02