• Corona Welcomes The World To Visit Its Tropical Paradise, Corona Island

  Today, Corona, the world’s most valuable beer brand[1], officially opens the doors to Corona Island—an eco-protected natural paradise off the coast of Colombia, now available for booking on major travel platforms. Travelers worldwide can secure their stay directly at livecoronaisland.com or through Airbnb, Expedia, and Booking.com. As a beer brewed with natural ingredients, Corona Island is symbolic of the brand’s dedication to live in harmony with nature. It is more than just a destination; it offers an experience that will inspire travelers to fall in love with the natural world and motivation to protect its resources. Originally debuting in 2021 as an invite-only getaway located 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Cartagena, and accessible only by boat, the island offers guests a chance to disconnect from daily life and reconnect with nature through curated daytime activities and evening experiences. Corona Island features ten premium waterfront bungalows, each with its own jacuzzi, nestled among lush tropical forests and pristine beaches. The island offers all-inclusive overnight stays for two people per bungalow, alongside a limited number of all-inclusive day trip passes that are also available for purchase. An Eco-Protected Paradise Corona Island is the world’s first and only island to receive Oceanic Global’s three-star plastic-free Blue Seal for eliminating single-use plastics and adopting sustainable operating best practices at scale. Built with eco-tourism at its core, Corona Island integrates those practices into its architecture, hospitality and daily operations, featuring: · Sustainable Design: Structures use solar energy, native plants like guadua, and traditional building techniques such as bahareque. · Fresh, Local Dining: The island serves its food with an emphasis on local ingredients, such as baked goods made with fruits native to the region, which are all included in the price of the visit. Also available for guests to enjoy are the full suite of Corona products, including Corona Extra and Corona Cero. Immersive, Conservation-Focused Experiences Guests can enjoy a variety of relaxation and eco-conscious activities, including: · Yoga, stand-up paddleboarding, and kayaking for a mindful connection to nature. · Eco-preservation initiatives such as snorkeling to restore coral reefs and mangrove planting for ecosystem reforestation. “At Corona Island, relaxation meets conservation in a natural beachside setting. As the brand born at the beach, and a beer brewed with natural ingredients, we believe that our island serves as a perfect extension of our ethos,” said Clarissa Pantoja, Global VP of Corona. “With breathtaking landscapes, sustainable practices, and immersive outdoor activities, we invite eco-tourists and travel enthusiasts alike to explore this unique setting, where every experience reflects our dedication to preserving the beauty of the natural world.” To view rates and book your experience at the one-of-a-kind, natural eco-paradise, visit www.livecoronaisland.com or search for Corona Island on Airbnb, Expedia, and Booking.com.

• Global Wellness Summit Releases 10 Wellness Trends for 2025

  The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) has released its much-anticipated Future of Wellness report for 2025. Spanning 130 pages, the report is the most comprehensive annual forecast of trends shaping the health and wellness industry. Last year’s report identified a stark polarization in the wellness market. On one side, a high-tech, medicalized, hyper-optimized, and expensive approach—termed "hardcare"—was on the rise. On the other, a growing demand for simpler, low-tech, socially and emotionally driven wellness, described as "softcare," was taking hold. The 2025 report predicts this divide will only deepen. The Rise of Analog Wellness One of the standout trends is the push toward Analog Wellness. As people grow increasingly weary of the manipulative and overwhelming digital world, they are opting to disconnect and embrace retro, pre-digital, and even pre-industrial lifestyles. Analog hobbies and experiences are becoming synonymous with wellness, and this shift is expected to influence industries from travel to home design and even public policy. Another trend, Sauna Reimagined, highlights the reinvention of the ancient, low-tech tradition of saunas, emphasizing their social and restorative aspects. Similarly, Wellness on the Line explores the surge in creative wellness offerings aboard cruise ships and trains, reflecting a broader yearning for slower, more mindful travel experiences. High-Tech Wellness: The Human-Machine Fusion At the other end of the spectrum, Augmented Biology is redefining the possibilities of wellness through the integration of human bodies with advanced technologies. Once confined to the realm of science fiction, these innovations are now unlocking superhuman physical and cognitive potential. The Supplement Paradox addresses the evolution of the supplement industry, focusing on science-backed, high-tech solutions to restore consumer trust in a market riddled with skepticism. Addressing Social Challenges through Wellness The report also examines how wellness is tackling some of society’s most pressing issues. For example, Teen Wellness addresses the alarming rise in mental health challenges among adolescents, spotlighting new initiatives tailored to their unique needs. Meanwhile, Wellness Tackles Addiction sheds light on a growing category aimed at reducing the stigma around addiction, from sober retreats to luxury rehab programs and harm-reduction products. In response to the global water crisis, Watershed Wellness highlights how spas and wellness destinations are working to conserve and replenish water resources. Additionally, Longevity Redefines Work explores how the wellness industry can support an aging workforce, as younger employees become scarcer and older workers remain active in the labor market. The Middle East: A New Leader in Wellness One of the report's most surprising revelations is the rise of the Middle East as a global wellness leader. Driven by ambitious national visions in GCC countries, the region is investing heavily in cutting-edge preventive healthcare, sustainable wellness tourism destinations, and innovative sports-meets-wellness concepts. The GWS 2025 report paints a vivid picture of the wellness industry’s evolving landscape. From the nostalgic embrace of analog living to futuristic breakthroughs in augmented biology, these trends underscore the industry’s growing influence on both personal and societal well-being. TEN WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2025: Analog Wellness 2025 Will Be the Pivotal Year for a Great Logging Off, and Analog-ing On The online world's relentless manipulations, marketing and disinformation campaigns—causing general brain and culture rotting—seem to have really gone too far. People are grasping how tech's evilly brilliant AI and algorithms push us toward hate, dissolve the line between real and not real, and keep us addicted to increasingly awful content. If "digital detox" is as old as the Internet, 2025 will be THE year that more people get very intentional about logging off from an online world costing us our minds, focus, humanity, social lives, financial wellness, and political stability. More companies, concepts and destinations will help people disconnect. There's a new era of "calm tech," including evermore creative apps that discipline your social media time. More governments are taking action, from banning devices in schools to passing "right to disconnect" laws that fine companies for hitting employees with after-work calls and texts. The digital detox trend is even impacting real estate and home design: the hyper-connected smart home is being replaced by the minimally connected, tactile "dumb home," where privacy and peace are restored. A great "analog-ing on" is also ahead. Trailblazed by younger gens, there's a growing obsession with retro tech, and analog hobbies and experiences, that restore our attention and the sense of the tactile. Structured, super-social classes and clubs revolving around every type of analog experience are exploding globally: social ceramics studios, old-school game-playing clubs, intellectual "academic bars," reading salons set to live music. These analog clubs and salons are giving fitness studios and pricey "social wellness clubs" competition as new grassroots third spaces. The digital detox and analog experiences trends are also transforming travel. Digital detox cabins in nature (like the UK's Unplugged) or phone-free adventure tours like FLTO's, feel more aspirational than spa palaces. Retro-tech mania (for old-school cameras, vinyl records, and vintage typewriters) is hitting resorts, from "deep listening" vinyl record nights in saunas, to swapping guests' phones for "digital detox kits" that contain Polaroid cameras, paper maps and board games. Wellness resorts are launching sophisticated analog arts programming: painting, ceramics, calligraphy and writing workshops. Travelers are seeking positively pre-industrial experiences: at the new South African 17th-century farm turned wellness resort, Soetmelksvlei, you learn blacksmithing and wheat milling. The digital detox and analog living trends have been percolating for years, but they now feel less like trendy nostalgia and more like social activism fighting to create a sane, human "retro future." If we had to bet on AI-driven or analog wellness, longevity clinics or logging off, we'd take the latter. Sauna Reimagined A Global Renaissance of an Ancient Tradition While saunas have been around for thousands of years, they're currently enjoying an incredible renaissance. From new urban saunas in New York City and Chicago, to rustic waterfront saunas in Oslo or Brighton, to saunas with immersive art installations in Tokyo, today's saunas represent a reinvention of an age-old tradition—and an increasingly younger, hipper crowd is taking notice. A key part of this sauna renaissance is driven by a rise in entertainment in saunas. The Aufguss movement, once the domain of European countries, is gaining momentum worldwide, with new countries like Japan and England taking part in recent years. Sauna design is also getting far more exciting, and stand-alone saunas are accessible, often made for the public, with low entry fees. Even box-style saunas in spas are becoming more experiential, with panoramic glass walls or immersive digital art. Event-sized saunas that fit dozens—or even hundreds—of people are also popping up worldwide. Younger consumers, craving real-life connections beyond bars and clubs, are flocking to these social saunas, which can feature DJs, drag queens, or full-blown concerts. Where saunas were once a sad, dark, lonely box in a basement, today they're lively, social cultural and entertainment hubs, often with fantastic views and in incredible locations, and people just can't get enough. The Supplement Paradox Wellness, Efficacy and the Trust Revolution Supplements are a gigantic, growing $178 billion market that has moved from humble health aid on pharmacy shelves to cultural phenom. With glossy packaging, celebrity endorsements, and price tags now reaching thousands of dollars, supplements mean status as much as health. The industry has been long plagued by lax regulations and "science washing." This trend explores new directions that could help create shifts in the perception of supplements' efficacy and value. Science is meeting premiumization, from hyper-personalized formulations to a focus on cellular longevity, as supplements evolve into more precise tools of lifestyle optimization. Biomarker and genetic testing, and predictive AI, are underwriting hyper-personalized, more adaptive regimens that address risks like (potentially toxic) over-supplementation and inefficacy. Thorne HealthTech's Onegevity platform and InsideTracker analyze biomarkers, genetics and lifestyle data to deliver tailored formulations. Longevity science is creating supplements targeting key aging mechanisms like mitochondrial health, telomere preservation and cellular repair—such as NAD+ boosters and senolytics (that kill "zombie" cells). David Beckham's new IM8 brand, partnering with Prenetics and the University of Oxford, is studying the accelerated aging that happens in space (aboard the International Space Station) to create unique, science-backed longevity supplements. More science-based supplements are targeting precise needs. New GLP-1 companion supplements are formulated to counteract the muscle loss, nutrient imbalances and digestive issues that occur when taking Ozempic, such as Elo Health's GLP-1. More are addressing the unique physiological needs of women, with innovation in targeting hormonal health and fertility. Menopause care is advancing: Morrama Labs' Luma app collects temperature, heart rate stress and sleep data during menopause to customize formulations 3D-printed into monthly pill batches. The trend also covers new detoxification methods removing microplastics, heavy metals and pollutants that can hinder nutrient absorption, and how nanotechnology could enhance supplements' precision by targeting specific tissues or organs, bridging the gap between medical treatment and supplements. Teen Wellness An Opportunity for Greater Inclusion Teenagers today face mounting mental health challenges, fueled by societal crises and social media pressure. While historically, spas and wellness destinations have treated teens as a sidenote or in rather silly ways, with the skyrocketing teen mental health crisis, the industry is finally getting serious about teen wellbeing. A shift is underway as the wellness industry opens up to family and intergenerational wellness programming to help teens and their families deal with unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression and addiction. From off-grid sanctuaries in Bali that help teenagers deal with the overstimulation of the digital age, to surf therapy retreats in the UK and Morocco that combine the mindfulness of surfing with trauma therapy, culture and connection, new programming is using powerful wellness tools like sound therapy, meditation and nature immersion to fight the rising teenage "diseases of despair." The hospitality and spa worlds are taking notice. Hotel brands like Rosewood, One Hotels and Carillon Miami are working on new teen-focused initiatives, and spas are experimenting with things like adapted massage for sports-involved teens and new approaches for sedentary or neurodivergent youth. But it's not just spas that are tackling the issue. A wide range of urban and suburban wellness programs are meeting teens where they are in their local communities to provide accessible experiences that improve mental health, and free apps like Clear Fear and Sorted Teens have been designed specifically to help teens deal with anxiety or foster resilience. The wellness industry has a vital opportunity and responsibility to support this generation and foster healthier, more balanced young lives, and we expect more serious teen wellness solutions will emerge in the coming years. Watershed Wellness Industry Takes a Leadership Role in the Water Crisis As water scarcity becomes a terrible problem worldwide, fueled by climate change, population growth and pollution, the spa and wellness industries must rise up, both collectively and individually, to address the issue. This is the biggest problem that nobody is talking about, affecting millions of people globally. The spa and wellness industries have long been water-hog villains. Consider this: a single drench shower uses up to 40 liters of water per guest, which can add up to 11,000 liters of water daily—or more than four million liters (over ten million gallons) annually. That's just one spa. As our planet heats, and droughts and water shortages become far more commonplace, it will become imperative for wellness establishments to do more to help preserve, replenish, and renew our water supplies, reinforcing the idea that wellness is not just selfishly about individual health, but also about the health of the planet. Given the importance of water in spa and wellness businesses and treatments, the industry is in a unique position to lead by example in promoting water conservation and environmental stewardship. Many wellness destinations at the forefront of the movement are adopting sustainable practices to reduce their water usage, or even to implement processes to help with water shortages in their communities. The destination spa Rancho La Puerta in Mexico, for instance, has invested in building a $5 million "water healing plant" that uses anaerobic bio-digesters, constructed wetlands and ozone to treat 27 liters (7+ gallons) of sewage per second in an effort to reverse the water crisis in Tecate. Other wellness destinations are implementing graywater recycling systems, closed-loop water systems, and natural filtration systems for their pools. As more destructive droughts loom, and as the public becomes more aware of water shortage issues, it will become imperative for the spa and wellness industries to change their practices—or risk being seen as an outdated, ethically obsolete model of wellbeing that neglects this rising crisis in planetary wellness. Augmented Biology Unlocking Human Potential Through Advanced Health Optimization As advancements in health technology and genetic engineering unfold, a new paradigm is taking shape in which health is not merely sustained, but actively optimized and extended, enabling people to unlock their full neural, physiological, and psychological potential. A fundamental redefining of the nature of human capability is underway and a new fusion of body and machine that once seemed like the stuff of science fiction is pushing the potential of people's brains and bodies to superhuman levels. Breakthroughs include performance-enhancing brain-computer interfaces, neurocell wellness, nth-level extreme performance fitness, and wearable robotics with exoskeletons that help athletes endure intense exertion. Neurable's smart headphones are integrated with brain-computer interface technology to help people gain deep insight into their cognitive health and manage burnout. Augmented mobility inventions include the MO/GO trousers, with wearable robotics that provide a 40% boost to leg muscle strength and knee support, so people can move powerfully and freely in physically demanding environments like the wilderness. AI-integrated wearable health devices are transitioning from simple trackers to active systems that respond to individual needs, while advancements in genetic engineering, neuroplasticity and personalized preventative medicine are becoming more viable—meaning tailored interventions for hyper-optimization will go mainstream. Rising consumer demand for wellness solutions that optimize cognitive, emotional and physical states will see the idea of unlocking untapped human potential become a reality. We're on the cusp of a new era where we're beginning to not only understand our biology more deeply, but also take active control in improving it, and we're pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human—unlocking radically new possibilities for health, brain power, longevity and performance. The future will not be defined by our limitations, but by our endless capacity for growth and improvement. Longevity Redefines Work Wellness Industry Opportunities Arise to Support the Expanding 65+ Workforce An age bomb is coming, and it will radically reconfigure the workspace. All over the world, the number of young workers is dramatically decreasing as the over-65 employee demographic explodes in an age of longevity. It's hard to believe, but the fastest-growing workforce age group globally are now the over-75s. Many forces are driving people to work longer: the vast knowledge resources they hold, their financial needs, the desperate need for labor, and the 4% GDP boost available to countries for every one year of increased work participation. This trend explores the many seismic changes coming to work: what roles we'll fill, how long we'll stay, and how we'll adapt. It will all come down to maintaining the health and wellness of older workers and creating work policies that address how our responsibilities, needs and goals change with age. While most workplaces are lagging in solving for this, some are taking action. We'll see more flexi-work adopted by corporations like the UK's HSBC, as flexibility over locations and hours can be non-negotiable for older employees. This could mean part-time schedules, or consulting roles offering more autonomy. Companies, like Siemens in Germany, will create more mentorship programs, as older workers value sharing their deep experience. Reverse mentoring will rise, as it has at multinationals like Estee Lauder and General Electric, where senior employees are mentored by younger ones, to create intergenerational communication and stay ahead of tech and trends. In an ever-changing skills-based world, with the need to constantly be upskilling ourselves, under-utilized educational institutions could become centers for re-schooling and up-schooling the older worker. Companies like India's Tata Consultancy Services focus on continuous learning programs for older employees. Singapore is the shining example in policy for an aging workforce: they raised the re-employment age, provide wage offsets for companies hiring older workers, offer skills development programs for older employees, and crucially, the most accessible, affordable healthcare system. If we don't create solutions that put workers on a path of longevity, our economies will fail. The wellness industry will have a huge role here, and expect new advisors specializing in the wellness of the very valuable corporate older worker. Wellness Tackles Addiction Wellness Moves into Harm Reduction and Addiction Treatment This trend identifies a new wellness category, with the wellness space poised to further topple taboos and offer innovative products around addiction, just as it has for sexual wellness and menopause. Wellness practices are increasingly being integrated into all manner of addiction treatment—from alcohol to illicit drugs to technology—and wellness companies are enthusiastically entering the harm-reduction space. As drug use climbs around the world and alcohol is named a Class 1 carcinogen, creative, judgement-free options are needed. Cool-kids-approved brands aimed at harm reduction are going viral. Blip and Jones are bringing smoking cessation into the modern day with slick packaging, innovative products, and online support. New ingestibles, like GreenOut ("the epipen of cannabis") or Soft Landing Chocolate ("a reverse edible"), will help people come down fast and safely if they get too high on THC. There are more health dupes, like Puff Herbals' herbal wellness "cigarettes" that help with sleep or focus. New apps and wearable tech are supporting people with addictions, as are new "habit" coaching platforms, like Zabit. The line between a luxury wellness resort and a medical addiction treatment center is blurring as more treatment centers realize that many wellness approaches are proving incredibly helpful in supporting people through recovery. Carrara in California marries medical treatment with EMDR therapy, somatic experiences, yoga, tai chi, TCM, spa treatments, and mandatory hyperbaric oxygen chamber sessions. At Zurich's Paracelsus Recovery, cutting-edge medical advancements (from full-body MRIs to epigenetic testing) are integrated with acupuncture, shiatsu, and equine and art therapy. Even if your bad habits don't require a two-week medical stay, with the rise of the "sober curious" movement, more hotels and wellness resorts are hosting wellness-focused sobriety retreats to help people cut down on everything from booze to tech, such as Gill Tietz's Sober Powered Nervous System Reboot Retreat in Mexico. The trend also examines a new wave of med-tech innovations to treat addictions, like Spark Biomedical's neuro-stimulating earpiece easing opioid withdrawal symptoms, as well the new ways psychedelic drugs are being used to treat drug addiction. Wellness on the Line Cruise and Rail Journeys Navigate to Wellness Travel Fueled by a desire for slower, more relaxed travel, both cruises and train travel are surging in popularity. Increasingly, they're also exploring itineraries with a host of holistic wellness programs, resort-level facilities, on-board health experts, and wellness-focused excursions. From dedicated Dior spa carriages on Belmond's fleet of luxury trains, to a boom in wellness retreats at sea—sometimes with a celebrity twist—wellness is playing an important role in offering unique programming that helps users differentiate in a crowded marketplace. Wellness brands like COMO Hotels are jumping into the cruise market. Their first "Journey into the Arctic" combines adventurous excursions with COMO Shambhala wellness treatments. Established cruise lines are partnering with celebrities from Gwyneth Paltrow to Deepak Chopra and Dr. Andrew Weil to help them navigate their wellness experiences. Rail journeys are celebrating their natural mindful qualities. Commuter trains are highlighting the opportunity for knitting or meditation during Mental Health Awareness Week. A new generation of train travelers is discovering Europe's historic thermal towns—all accessible by rail—and visiting the bathhouses, grand hotels and promenades that set the scene for 19th-century wellness journeys. Wellness-focused excursions for both train and cruise travelers increasingly offer guests the opportunity to explore local wellness traditions, from wild swimming in Scandinavia, to gathering medicinal plants with a Mayan shaman in Mexico, to soaking in onsens in Japan. As astrotourism, silent tourism and "calmcations" grow in popularity, rail and ship travel—which can transport guests far away from light and noise pollution—will capitalize on these trends. Cruises are focusing on everything from longevity programming to more "scientific citizen" expeditions. And residential cruise real estate is also emerging. Next year, Blue World Voyages plans to launch its first ship, entirely dedicated to sports and wellness, and featuring advanced technology like air and water purification systems, circadian lighting and vitamin-C infused showers—the kinds of amenities seen in the most sophisticated wellness real estate projects on land. With both cruises and trains offering travel where the journey can be the destination, and with slowing down exactly the kind of wellbeing we most need, expect to see more wellness on cruise lines and rail lines moving forward. The Middle East's Wellness Ambitions From Desert Retreats to High-Tech Wellness, the Region Embraces Holistic Wellbeing The Middle East is emerging as a global wellness leader, blending cultural heritage with cutting-edge innovation and sustainability, fueled by national strategies and vast new developments. Wellness is touching every part of Middle Eastern society, from innovative health solutions to religious gatherings, and as oil-dependent countries seek new revenue streams, wellness is emerging as a prime sector. Several Middle Eastern countries have articulated national visions that emphasize wellness and preventive healthcare as integral components of their development strategies, understanding that wellbeing is vital to economic diversification and population health. The UAE's Vision 2030 invests in prevention and AI-enhanced clinical care; Oman's Vision 2040 emphasizes preventive health and the creation of a genomic database targeting genetic diseases; and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 funds public health campaigns targeting chronic illness and has gone big on wellness tourism. Large-scale travel destinations like Red Sea Global's AMAALA in Saudi Arabia—which will include an unprecedented 30 world-class wellness destinations when complete, with the first eight opening this year—highlight the region's ambitious moves into wellness tourism. Elsewhere, Arabic wellness traditions and dramatic landscapes are creating authentic experiences that highlight the region's beauty and heritage. For instance, in Jordan, guests connect with local Bedouin culture while stargazing and hiking. The region is pioneering new intersections between sports and wellness, with destinations like Qatar's Aspire Academy and Saudi Arabia's Sports Boulevard. Digital innovation is transforming healthcare in the Middle East, especially within the GCC countries, with major investments in artificial intelligence, robotics, genomic medicine and digital healthcare infrastructure. The market for beauty products celebrating Middle Eastern heritage is growing, with products like Asteri Beauty's vegan, "desert-proof" collection, or MZN Bodycare's line, inspired by the plants of Saudi Arabia. Extremely ambitious investment in preventative healthcare, sports, and wellness infrastructure and tourism, are creating a new global hub for wellbeing—one that once seemed unlikely.

• Thailand to Host ASEAN Patio Pool & Spa Expo 2025

  Thailand, known as the “spa capital” of Asia, is set to become a global hub for the pool and spa industry. The ASEAN Patio Pool & Spa Expo 2025 will take place from September 2 to 4, 2025, at the IMPACT Exhibition Centre in Bangkok. Organized by the prestigious Asia Pool & Spa Expo, often referred to as the “Oscar” of the global pool and spa industry, the event aims to provide an efficient trade platform for promoting Asian products worldwide and facilitating international brands' entry into the Asian market. Co-located with TAAPE Expo The expo will be held alongside TAAPE (Thailand Amusement and Attraction Parks Expo), Thailand’s only exhibition dedicated to water parks and attractions. The 2019 TAAPE Expo saw participation from global exhibitors representing over 20 countries, including White Water from Canada, Polin Waterpark and Polgun Waterparks from Turkey, Synergy Waterpark from India, and Lanchao and Dalang from China. Rapid Growth in Pool & Spa Market The pool market in Thailand is expanding rapidly, driven by a growing expatriate population, a thriving tourism sector, and rising living standards. The expo aims to showcase the latest innovations and services while fostering collaboration among industry professionals. For more information, visit the official website at www.aseanpoolspaexpo.com.

• Corona Welcomes The World To Visit Its Tropical Paradise, Corona Island

  Today, Corona, the world’s most valuable beer brand[1], officially opens the doors to Corona Island—an eco-protected natural paradise off the coast of Colombia, now available for booking on major travel platforms. Travelers worldwide can secure their stay directly at livecoronaisland.com or through Airbnb, Expedia, and Booking.com. As a beer brewed with natural ingredients, Corona Island is symbolic of the brand’s dedication to live in harmony with nature. It is more than just a destination; it offers an experience that will inspire travelers to fall in love with the natural world and motivation to protect its resources. Originally debuting in 2021 as an invite-only getaway located 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Cartagena, and accessible only by boat, the island offers guests a chance to disconnect from daily life and reconnect with nature through curated daytime activities and evening experiences. Corona Island features ten premium waterfront bungalows, each with its own jacuzzi, nestled among lush tropical forests and pristine beaches. The island offers all-inclusive overnight stays for two people per bungalow, alongside a limited number of all-inclusive day trip passes that are also available for purchase. An Eco-Protected Paradise Corona Island is the world’s first and only island to receive Oceanic Global’s three-star plastic-free Blue Seal for eliminating single-use plastics and adopting sustainable operating best practices at scale. Built with eco-tourism at its core, Corona Island integrates those practices into its architecture, hospitality and daily operations, featuring: · Sustainable Design: Structures use solar energy, native plants like guadua, and traditional building techniques such as bahareque. · Fresh, Local Dining: The island serves its food with an emphasis on local ingredients, such as baked goods made with fruits native to the region, which are all included in the price of the visit. Also available for guests to enjoy are the full suite of Corona products, including Corona Extra and Corona Cero. Immersive, Conservation-Focused Experiences Guests can enjoy a variety of relaxation and eco-conscious activities, including: · Yoga, stand-up paddleboarding, and kayaking for a mindful connection to nature. · Eco-preservation initiatives such as snorkeling to restore coral reefs and mangrove planting for ecosystem reforestation. “At Corona Island, relaxation meets conservation in a natural beachside setting. As the brand born at the beach, and a beer brewed with natural ingredients, we believe that our island serves as a perfect extension of our ethos,” said Clarissa Pantoja, Global VP of Corona. “With breathtaking landscapes, sustainable practices, and immersive outdoor activities, we invite eco-tourists and travel enthusiasts alike to explore this unique setting, where every experience reflects our dedication to preserving the beauty of the natural world.” To view rates and book your experience at the one-of-a-kind, natural eco-paradise, visit www.livecoronaisland.com or search for Corona Island on Airbnb, Expedia, and Booking.com.

  • In English
  • Global News

  2025-03-19

• Global Wellness Summit Releases 10 Wellness Trends for 2025

  The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) has released its much-anticipated Future of Wellness report for 2025. Spanning 130 pages, the report is the most comprehensive annual forecast of trends shaping the health and wellness industry. Last year’s report identified a stark polarization in the wellness market. On one side, a high-tech, medicalized, hyper-optimized, and expensive approach—termed "hardcare"—was on the rise. On the other, a growing demand for simpler, low-tech, socially and emotionally driven wellness, described as "softcare," was taking hold. The 2025 report predicts this divide will only deepen. The Rise of Analog Wellness One of the standout trends is the push toward Analog Wellness. As people grow increasingly weary of the manipulative and overwhelming digital world, they are opting to disconnect and embrace retro, pre-digital, and even pre-industrial lifestyles. Analog hobbies and experiences are becoming synonymous with wellness, and this shift is expected to influence industries from travel to home design and even public policy. Another trend, Sauna Reimagined, highlights the reinvention of the ancient, low-tech tradition of saunas, emphasizing their social and restorative aspects. Similarly, Wellness on the Line explores the surge in creative wellness offerings aboard cruise ships and trains, reflecting a broader yearning for slower, more mindful travel experiences. High-Tech Wellness: The Human-Machine Fusion At the other end of the spectrum, Augmented Biology is redefining the possibilities of wellness through the integration of human bodies with advanced technologies. Once confined to the realm of science fiction, these innovations are now unlocking superhuman physical and cognitive potential. The Supplement Paradox addresses the evolution of the supplement industry, focusing on science-backed, high-tech solutions to restore consumer trust in a market riddled with skepticism. Addressing Social Challenges through Wellness The report also examines how wellness is tackling some of society’s most pressing issues. For example, Teen Wellness addresses the alarming rise in mental health challenges among adolescents, spotlighting new initiatives tailored to their unique needs. Meanwhile, Wellness Tackles Addiction sheds light on a growing category aimed at reducing the stigma around addiction, from sober retreats to luxury rehab programs and harm-reduction products. In response to the global water crisis, Watershed Wellness highlights how spas and wellness destinations are working to conserve and replenish water resources. Additionally, Longevity Redefines Work explores how the wellness industry can support an aging workforce, as younger employees become scarcer and older workers remain active in the labor market. The Middle East: A New Leader in Wellness One of the report's most surprising revelations is the rise of the Middle East as a global wellness leader. Driven by ambitious national visions in GCC countries, the region is investing heavily in cutting-edge preventive healthcare, sustainable wellness tourism destinations, and innovative sports-meets-wellness concepts. The GWS 2025 report paints a vivid picture of the wellness industry’s evolving landscape. From the nostalgic embrace of analog living to futuristic breakthroughs in augmented biology, these trends underscore the industry’s growing influence on both personal and societal well-being. TEN WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2025: Analog Wellness 2025 Will Be the Pivotal Year for a Great Logging Off, and Analog-ing On The online world's relentless manipulations, marketing and disinformation campaigns—causing general brain and culture rotting—seem to have really gone too far. People are grasping how tech's evilly brilliant AI and algorithms push us toward hate, dissolve the line between real and not real, and keep us addicted to increasingly awful content. If "digital detox" is as old as the Internet, 2025 will be THE year that more people get very intentional about logging off from an online world costing us our minds, focus, humanity, social lives, financial wellness, and political stability. More companies, concepts and destinations will help people disconnect. There's a new era of "calm tech," including evermore creative apps that discipline your social media time. More governments are taking action, from banning devices in schools to passing "right to disconnect" laws that fine companies for hitting employees with after-work calls and texts. The digital detox trend is even impacting real estate and home design: the hyper-connected smart home is being replaced by the minimally connected, tactile "dumb home," where privacy and peace are restored. A great "analog-ing on" is also ahead. Trailblazed by younger gens, there's a growing obsession with retro tech, and analog hobbies and experiences, that restore our attention and the sense of the tactile. Structured, super-social classes and clubs revolving around every type of analog experience are exploding globally: social ceramics studios, old-school game-playing clubs, intellectual "academic bars," reading salons set to live music. These analog clubs and salons are giving fitness studios and pricey "social wellness clubs" competition as new grassroots third spaces. The digital detox and analog experiences trends are also transforming travel. Digital detox cabins in nature (like the UK's Unplugged) or phone-free adventure tours like FLTO's, feel more aspirational than spa palaces. Retro-tech mania (for old-school cameras, vinyl records, and vintage typewriters) is hitting resorts, from "deep listening" vinyl record nights in saunas, to swapping guests' phones for "digital detox kits" that contain Polaroid cameras, paper maps and board games. Wellness resorts are launching sophisticated analog arts programming: painting, ceramics, calligraphy and writing workshops. Travelers are seeking positively pre-industrial experiences: at the new South African 17th-century farm turned wellness resort, Soetmelksvlei, you learn blacksmithing and wheat milling. The digital detox and analog living trends have been percolating for years, but they now feel less like trendy nostalgia and more like social activism fighting to create a sane, human "retro future." If we had to bet on AI-driven or analog wellness, longevity clinics or logging off, we'd take the latter. Sauna Reimagined A Global Renaissance of an Ancient Tradition While saunas have been around for thousands of years, they're currently enjoying an incredible renaissance. From new urban saunas in New York City and Chicago, to rustic waterfront saunas in Oslo or Brighton, to saunas with immersive art installations in Tokyo, today's saunas represent a reinvention of an age-old tradition—and an increasingly younger, hipper crowd is taking notice. A key part of this sauna renaissance is driven by a rise in entertainment in saunas. The Aufguss movement, once the domain of European countries, is gaining momentum worldwide, with new countries like Japan and England taking part in recent years. Sauna design is also getting far more exciting, and stand-alone saunas are accessible, often made for the public, with low entry fees. Even box-style saunas in spas are becoming more experiential, with panoramic glass walls or immersive digital art. Event-sized saunas that fit dozens—or even hundreds—of people are also popping up worldwide. Younger consumers, craving real-life connections beyond bars and clubs, are flocking to these social saunas, which can feature DJs, drag queens, or full-blown concerts. Where saunas were once a sad, dark, lonely box in a basement, today they're lively, social cultural and entertainment hubs, often with fantastic views and in incredible locations, and people just can't get enough. The Supplement Paradox Wellness, Efficacy and the Trust Revolution Supplements are a gigantic, growing $178 billion market that has moved from humble health aid on pharmacy shelves to cultural phenom. With glossy packaging, celebrity endorsements, and price tags now reaching thousands of dollars, supplements mean status as much as health. The industry has been long plagued by lax regulations and "science washing." This trend explores new directions that could help create shifts in the perception of supplements' efficacy and value. Science is meeting premiumization, from hyper-personalized formulations to a focus on cellular longevity, as supplements evolve into more precise tools of lifestyle optimization. Biomarker and genetic testing, and predictive AI, are underwriting hyper-personalized, more adaptive regimens that address risks like (potentially toxic) over-supplementation and inefficacy. Thorne HealthTech's Onegevity platform and InsideTracker analyze biomarkers, genetics and lifestyle data to deliver tailored formulations. Longevity science is creating supplements targeting key aging mechanisms like mitochondrial health, telomere preservation and cellular repair—such as NAD+ boosters and senolytics (that kill "zombie" cells). David Beckham's new IM8 brand, partnering with Prenetics and the University of Oxford, is studying the accelerated aging that happens in space (aboard the International Space Station) to create unique, science-backed longevity supplements. More science-based supplements are targeting precise needs. New GLP-1 companion supplements are formulated to counteract the muscle loss, nutrient imbalances and digestive issues that occur when taking Ozempic, such as Elo Health's GLP-1. More are addressing the unique physiological needs of women, with innovation in targeting hormonal health and fertility. Menopause care is advancing: Morrama Labs' Luma app collects temperature, heart rate stress and sleep data during menopause to customize formulations 3D-printed into monthly pill batches. The trend also covers new detoxification methods removing microplastics, heavy metals and pollutants that can hinder nutrient absorption, and how nanotechnology could enhance supplements' precision by targeting specific tissues or organs, bridging the gap between medical treatment and supplements. Teen Wellness An Opportunity for Greater Inclusion Teenagers today face mounting mental health challenges, fueled by societal crises and social media pressure. While historically, spas and wellness destinations have treated teens as a sidenote or in rather silly ways, with the skyrocketing teen mental health crisis, the industry is finally getting serious about teen wellbeing. A shift is underway as the wellness industry opens up to family and intergenerational wellness programming to help teens and their families deal with unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression and addiction. From off-grid sanctuaries in Bali that help teenagers deal with the overstimulation of the digital age, to surf therapy retreats in the UK and Morocco that combine the mindfulness of surfing with trauma therapy, culture and connection, new programming is using powerful wellness tools like sound therapy, meditation and nature immersion to fight the rising teenage "diseases of despair." The hospitality and spa worlds are taking notice. Hotel brands like Rosewood, One Hotels and Carillon Miami are working on new teen-focused initiatives, and spas are experimenting with things like adapted massage for sports-involved teens and new approaches for sedentary or neurodivergent youth. But it's not just spas that are tackling the issue. A wide range of urban and suburban wellness programs are meeting teens where they are in their local communities to provide accessible experiences that improve mental health, and free apps like Clear Fear and Sorted Teens have been designed specifically to help teens deal with anxiety or foster resilience. The wellness industry has a vital opportunity and responsibility to support this generation and foster healthier, more balanced young lives, and we expect more serious teen wellness solutions will emerge in the coming years. Watershed Wellness Industry Takes a Leadership Role in the Water Crisis As water scarcity becomes a terrible problem worldwide, fueled by climate change, population growth and pollution, the spa and wellness industries must rise up, both collectively and individually, to address the issue. This is the biggest problem that nobody is talking about, affecting millions of people globally. The spa and wellness industries have long been water-hog villains. Consider this: a single drench shower uses up to 40 liters of water per guest, which can add up to 11,000 liters of water daily—or more than four million liters (over ten million gallons) annually. That's just one spa. As our planet heats, and droughts and water shortages become far more commonplace, it will become imperative for wellness establishments to do more to help preserve, replenish, and renew our water supplies, reinforcing the idea that wellness is not just selfishly about individual health, but also about the health of the planet. Given the importance of water in spa and wellness businesses and treatments, the industry is in a unique position to lead by example in promoting water conservation and environmental stewardship. Many wellness destinations at the forefront of the movement are adopting sustainable practices to reduce their water usage, or even to implement processes to help with water shortages in their communities. The destination spa Rancho La Puerta in Mexico, for instance, has invested in building a $5 million "water healing plant" that uses anaerobic bio-digesters, constructed wetlands and ozone to treat 27 liters (7+ gallons) of sewage per second in an effort to reverse the water crisis in Tecate. Other wellness destinations are implementing graywater recycling systems, closed-loop water systems, and natural filtration systems for their pools. As more destructive droughts loom, and as the public becomes more aware of water shortage issues, it will become imperative for the spa and wellness industries to change their practices—or risk being seen as an outdated, ethically obsolete model of wellbeing that neglects this rising crisis in planetary wellness. Augmented Biology Unlocking Human Potential Through Advanced Health Optimization As advancements in health technology and genetic engineering unfold, a new paradigm is taking shape in which health is not merely sustained, but actively optimized and extended, enabling people to unlock their full neural, physiological, and psychological potential. A fundamental redefining of the nature of human capability is underway and a new fusion of body and machine that once seemed like the stuff of science fiction is pushing the potential of people's brains and bodies to superhuman levels. Breakthroughs include performance-enhancing brain-computer interfaces, neurocell wellness, nth-level extreme performance fitness, and wearable robotics with exoskeletons that help athletes endure intense exertion. Neurable's smart headphones are integrated with brain-computer interface technology to help people gain deep insight into their cognitive health and manage burnout. Augmented mobility inventions include the MO/GO trousers, with wearable robotics that provide a 40% boost to leg muscle strength and knee support, so people can move powerfully and freely in physically demanding environments like the wilderness. AI-integrated wearable health devices are transitioning from simple trackers to active systems that respond to individual needs, while advancements in genetic engineering, neuroplasticity and personalized preventative medicine are becoming more viable—meaning tailored interventions for hyper-optimization will go mainstream. Rising consumer demand for wellness solutions that optimize cognitive, emotional and physical states will see the idea of unlocking untapped human potential become a reality. We're on the cusp of a new era where we're beginning to not only understand our biology more deeply, but also take active control in improving it, and we're pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human—unlocking radically new possibilities for health, brain power, longevity and performance. The future will not be defined by our limitations, but by our endless capacity for growth and improvement. Longevity Redefines Work Wellness Industry Opportunities Arise to Support the Expanding 65+ Workforce An age bomb is coming, and it will radically reconfigure the workspace. All over the world, the number of young workers is dramatically decreasing as the over-65 employee demographic explodes in an age of longevity. It's hard to believe, but the fastest-growing workforce age group globally are now the over-75s. Many forces are driving people to work longer: the vast knowledge resources they hold, their financial needs, the desperate need for labor, and the 4% GDP boost available to countries for every one year of increased work participation. This trend explores the many seismic changes coming to work: what roles we'll fill, how long we'll stay, and how we'll adapt. It will all come down to maintaining the health and wellness of older workers and creating work policies that address how our responsibilities, needs and goals change with age. While most workplaces are lagging in solving for this, some are taking action. We'll see more flexi-work adopted by corporations like the UK's HSBC, as flexibility over locations and hours can be non-negotiable for older employees. This could mean part-time schedules, or consulting roles offering more autonomy. Companies, like Siemens in Germany, will create more mentorship programs, as older workers value sharing their deep experience. Reverse mentoring will rise, as it has at multinationals like Estee Lauder and General Electric, where senior employees are mentored by younger ones, to create intergenerational communication and stay ahead of tech and trends. In an ever-changing skills-based world, with the need to constantly be upskilling ourselves, under-utilized educational institutions could become centers for re-schooling and up-schooling the older worker. Companies like India's Tata Consultancy Services focus on continuous learning programs for older employees. Singapore is the shining example in policy for an aging workforce: they raised the re-employment age, provide wage offsets for companies hiring older workers, offer skills development programs for older employees, and crucially, the most accessible, affordable healthcare system. If we don't create solutions that put workers on a path of longevity, our economies will fail. The wellness industry will have a huge role here, and expect new advisors specializing in the wellness of the very valuable corporate older worker. Wellness Tackles Addiction Wellness Moves into Harm Reduction and Addiction Treatment This trend identifies a new wellness category, with the wellness space poised to further topple taboos and offer innovative products around addiction, just as it has for sexual wellness and menopause. Wellness practices are increasingly being integrated into all manner of addiction treatment—from alcohol to illicit drugs to technology—and wellness companies are enthusiastically entering the harm-reduction space. As drug use climbs around the world and alcohol is named a Class 1 carcinogen, creative, judgement-free options are needed. Cool-kids-approved brands aimed at harm reduction are going viral. Blip and Jones are bringing smoking cessation into the modern day with slick packaging, innovative products, and online support. New ingestibles, like GreenOut ("the epipen of cannabis") or Soft Landing Chocolate ("a reverse edible"), will help people come down fast and safely if they get too high on THC. There are more health dupes, like Puff Herbals' herbal wellness "cigarettes" that help with sleep or focus. New apps and wearable tech are supporting people with addictions, as are new "habit" coaching platforms, like Zabit. The line between a luxury wellness resort and a medical addiction treatment center is blurring as more treatment centers realize that many wellness approaches are proving incredibly helpful in supporting people through recovery. Carrara in California marries medical treatment with EMDR therapy, somatic experiences, yoga, tai chi, TCM, spa treatments, and mandatory hyperbaric oxygen chamber sessions. At Zurich's Paracelsus Recovery, cutting-edge medical advancements (from full-body MRIs to epigenetic testing) are integrated with acupuncture, shiatsu, and equine and art therapy. Even if your bad habits don't require a two-week medical stay, with the rise of the "sober curious" movement, more hotels and wellness resorts are hosting wellness-focused sobriety retreats to help people cut down on everything from booze to tech, such as Gill Tietz's Sober Powered Nervous System Reboot Retreat in Mexico. The trend also examines a new wave of med-tech innovations to treat addictions, like Spark Biomedical's neuro-stimulating earpiece easing opioid withdrawal symptoms, as well the new ways psychedelic drugs are being used to treat drug addiction. Wellness on the Line Cruise and Rail Journeys Navigate to Wellness Travel Fueled by a desire for slower, more relaxed travel, both cruises and train travel are surging in popularity. Increasingly, they're also exploring itineraries with a host of holistic wellness programs, resort-level facilities, on-board health experts, and wellness-focused excursions. From dedicated Dior spa carriages on Belmond's fleet of luxury trains, to a boom in wellness retreats at sea—sometimes with a celebrity twist—wellness is playing an important role in offering unique programming that helps users differentiate in a crowded marketplace. Wellness brands like COMO Hotels are jumping into the cruise market. Their first "Journey into the Arctic" combines adventurous excursions with COMO Shambhala wellness treatments. Established cruise lines are partnering with celebrities from Gwyneth Paltrow to Deepak Chopra and Dr. Andrew Weil to help them navigate their wellness experiences. Rail journeys are celebrating their natural mindful qualities. Commuter trains are highlighting the opportunity for knitting or meditation during Mental Health Awareness Week. A new generation of train travelers is discovering Europe's historic thermal towns—all accessible by rail—and visiting the bathhouses, grand hotels and promenades that set the scene for 19th-century wellness journeys. Wellness-focused excursions for both train and cruise travelers increasingly offer guests the opportunity to explore local wellness traditions, from wild swimming in Scandinavia, to gathering medicinal plants with a Mayan shaman in Mexico, to soaking in onsens in Japan. As astrotourism, silent tourism and "calmcations" grow in popularity, rail and ship travel—which can transport guests far away from light and noise pollution—will capitalize on these trends. Cruises are focusing on everything from longevity programming to more "scientific citizen" expeditions. And residential cruise real estate is also emerging. Next year, Blue World Voyages plans to launch its first ship, entirely dedicated to sports and wellness, and featuring advanced technology like air and water purification systems, circadian lighting and vitamin-C infused showers—the kinds of amenities seen in the most sophisticated wellness real estate projects on land. With both cruises and trains offering travel where the journey can be the destination, and with slowing down exactly the kind of wellbeing we most need, expect to see more wellness on cruise lines and rail lines moving forward. The Middle East's Wellness Ambitions From Desert Retreats to High-Tech Wellness, the Region Embraces Holistic Wellbeing The Middle East is emerging as a global wellness leader, blending cultural heritage with cutting-edge innovation and sustainability, fueled by national strategies and vast new developments. Wellness is touching every part of Middle Eastern society, from innovative health solutions to religious gatherings, and as oil-dependent countries seek new revenue streams, wellness is emerging as a prime sector. Several Middle Eastern countries have articulated national visions that emphasize wellness and preventive healthcare as integral components of their development strategies, understanding that wellbeing is vital to economic diversification and population health. The UAE's Vision 2030 invests in prevention and AI-enhanced clinical care; Oman's Vision 2040 emphasizes preventive health and the creation of a genomic database targeting genetic diseases; and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 funds public health campaigns targeting chronic illness and has gone big on wellness tourism. Large-scale travel destinations like Red Sea Global's AMAALA in Saudi Arabia—which will include an unprecedented 30 world-class wellness destinations when complete, with the first eight opening this year—highlight the region's ambitious moves into wellness tourism. Elsewhere, Arabic wellness traditions and dramatic landscapes are creating authentic experiences that highlight the region's beauty and heritage. For instance, in Jordan, guests connect with local Bedouin culture while stargazing and hiking. The region is pioneering new intersections between sports and wellness, with destinations like Qatar's Aspire Academy and Saudi Arabia's Sports Boulevard. Digital innovation is transforming healthcare in the Middle East, especially within the GCC countries, with major investments in artificial intelligence, robotics, genomic medicine and digital healthcare infrastructure. The market for beauty products celebrating Middle Eastern heritage is growing, with products like Asteri Beauty's vegan, "desert-proof" collection, or MZN Bodycare's line, inspired by the plants of Saudi Arabia. Extremely ambitious investment in preventative healthcare, sports, and wellness infrastructure and tourism, are creating a new global hub for wellbeing—one that once seemed unlikely.

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  2025-01-31

• Thailand to Host ASEAN Patio Pool & Spa Expo 2025

  Thailand, known as the “spa capital” of Asia, is set to become a global hub for the pool and spa industry. The ASEAN Patio Pool & Spa Expo 2025 will take place from September 2 to 4, 2025, at the IMPACT Exhibition Centre in Bangkok. Organized by the prestigious Asia Pool & Spa Expo, often referred to as the “Oscar” of the global pool and spa industry, the event aims to provide an efficient trade platform for promoting Asian products worldwide and facilitating international brands' entry into the Asian market. Co-located with TAAPE Expo The expo will be held alongside TAAPE (Thailand Amusement and Attraction Parks Expo), Thailand’s only exhibition dedicated to water parks and attractions. The 2019 TAAPE Expo saw participation from global exhibitors representing over 20 countries, including White Water from Canada, Polin Waterpark and Polgun Waterparks from Turkey, Synergy Waterpark from India, and Lanchao and Dalang from China. Rapid Growth in Pool & Spa Market The pool market in Thailand is expanding rapidly, driven by a growing expatriate population, a thriving tourism sector, and rising living standards. The expo aims to showcase the latest innovations and services while fostering collaboration among industry professionals. For more information, visit the official website at www.aseanpoolspaexpo.com.

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  2025-01-10

• Asia Pool & Spa Expo 2025 to Showcase Latest Industry Innovations

  The Asia Pool & Spa Expo 2025 is set to take place from May 10 to May 12 at the China Import & Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, China. The expo will bring together global leaders in the pool and spa industry to present their latest products and technological advancements. A wide array of products will be featured, including: Pools Equipment: Leading manufacturers like EMAUX, LASWIM, GLONG, and POOLKING will showcase cutting-edge designs and advanced technology.Water Treatment: Companies such as SINCOBEST and BOYUANSHANG will present top-selling solutions for effective water management.Pool Lighting: BAOBIAO, POOLUX, and others will highlight their innovative lighting systems.Pool Cleaners: SUBLUE and POWERFUL will demonstrate high-tech robotic pool cleaners in action.Spas: Prominent brands like KASDALY, MONALISA, and SUNRANS will exhibit luxurious spa products.Saunas: Renowned exhibitors such as KEYA and HUAXI will present their latest sauna solutions.Acrylic Pools: Local manufacturers like GOLDEN HARVEST and DONCHAMP will display high-quality acrylic pool materials.Pool Liners: LANDY and QUNTAI will offer a look at their premium PVC liners and accessories.Pool Covers: POOLMAX and YIYONG will introduce protective cover solutions. The expo provides exclusive benefits for international buyers, including:Complimentary Hotel Accommodation: Free rooms during the exhibition period for select international attendees.Factory Tour: A “Happy Water Trip” on the final day, offering exclusive factory visits to experience the latest production innovations firsthand. “This expo offers a unique opportunity to connect directly with top suppliers, explore industry trends, and expand business opportunities in the pool and spa sector,” said an expo representative. [Inquiries]Asia Pool & Spa Expo 2025 Secretariat http://www.asiapoolspaexpo.com/index.php?lang=en

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  2025-01-10

• Global Wellness Summit Announces 2024 Theme: “A Watershed Moment for Wellness”

  The agenda for November’s conference in Scotland will have a double vision: broadly exploring how the wellness industry is at a pivotal moment for growth and disruption, while also taking a deep dive into the topic of water, from the explosion of interest in a new breed of bathing, sauna, hot springs, cold immersion, and wild swimming experiences to the water-hungry wellness and spa industries waking up to their role in creating a sustainable “blue economy” The Global Wellness Summit (GWS), the foremost gathering of international leaders in the multitrillion-dollar global wellness economy, today announced the theme for its 2024 conference being held in St. Andrews, Scotland from November 4-7: “A Watershed Moment for Wellness.” The agenda, at the macro level, will explore how the wellness industry is at a watershed moment for growth and evolution, gathering global experts to analyze the newest directions within each sector– whether fitness, mental wellness, wellness tourism, healthy food and weight loss, wellness real estate, well-tech, beauty, wellness policy, and more. A Dive into the ‘H2O Experience Economy’: The agenda will also specifically explore the surge in water-wellness experiences, a welcome democratic trend in an age of ever-wealthier wellness. If “sanus per aqua” (or “health by water,” the Latin acronym for “spa”) is the most ancient of wellness approaches, experts will discuss the powerful renaissance in water-based therapies underway, and how emerging hydrothermal approaches and technologies could revolutionize wellness in the future. The agenda will tackle many topics where water and wellness intersect, from the global surge in new urban bathhouses, sauna centers, and vast water-wellness parks that are becoming the new social “hotspots” to the wave of new and restored hot springs destinations (from reimagined Japanese onsens to an investment rush in hot springs development in the US). Climate Change, the Water Crisis, and the Wellness Industry: Climate change is severely threatening the world’s most precious resource, water. The wellness and spa industries are voracious consumers of water, while wellness tourism often creates other negative environmental impacts that threaten marine/water ecosystems and can hurt local coastal communities. The agenda will bring sustainability experts together to show how the industry needs to change, from boosting the wellness industry’s role in the “blue economy” (the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth and preserving endangered ocean ecosystems) to embracing the ethics of water (how clean water is a basic human right, now denied to 2.2 billion people) to adopting new technologies and practices that could transform the industry’s water use efficiency. The Perfect Location: Europe/the UK is the ancient birthplace of water-wellness and spa, and the ideal place to explore the theme. Scotland’s water is famed worldwide (crucial for some of its biggest exports, like scotch and whisky) and it’s one of the world’s most water-rich countries. It has more than 30,000 lochs, 10,000 miles of coastline, and enough rivers and streams to circle the Earth three times. In 2024, 98% of Scotland’s bathing waters will again meet or exceed the country’s strict environmental standards. Host Sponsor, Kohler–Water Experience Innovator & Sustainability Activist: The 2024 host sponsor is Kohler Co., which for 150 years has been a storied brand in design and innovative water features/experiences. With the Summit being held at one of their seven global properties, the iconic Old Course Hotel with a reimagined Kohler Waters Spa, delegates will literally be immersed in the theme. The company is also a renowned leader in sustainability and protecting the world’s water resources and is working hard toward net zero environmental impact by 2035. “There is powerful synergy between this year’s Summit theme on how water intersects with wellness and Kohler Co.’s mission, which not only includes pioneering water design, features and experiences for wellbeing but also working hard to fight climate change and protect the world’s water resources,” said Nina Kohler, strategy and design leader for the Hospitality Group at the Kohler Co. A Watershed Industry Moment, for Growth, for Disruption: The wider agenda will explore the historic momentum for the industry. Global Wellness Institute researchers find that the wellness economy was worth $5.6 trillion in 2022 and forecast that it will rise to $8.5 trillion by 2027. They will unveil a complete update of the Global Wellness Economy Monitor in Scotland, with new data and insights on each wellness sector. “This is a watershed moment for wellness. In our 2024 trends report, we note that we’ve seen more industry disruptions in the last year than in the last decade–whether the rapid rise of medical-wellness and longevity concepts or Big Pharma rewriting weight loss,” said Susie Ellis, GWS chair and CEO. “With fast-shifting consumer demands, fast-evolving technology, demographic shifts (including a profoundly aging population), accelerating climate change and demands that businesses take environmental action, this year’s agenda will investigate how our industry will continue to see further radical transformation.”

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  2024-06-05

• 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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  2024-03-14

실시간 Global News 기사

• Doxy.me Removes Telemedicine Barriers

  Doxy.me, a free, secure telemedicine solution, stands ready to meet increased demand for a simple, convenient way for healthcare providers to meet with their patients remotely, promising to improve the health care experience during this critical time. Most telemedicine software products require a lengthy sales cycle, including training, legal review, and software or hardware to install. The process can take weeks to months to get up and running. Doxy.me was designed to be easy to install and simple to use; there are no downloads or apps to install and patients don't need to create accounts. The process is automated, so providers can start practicing telemedicine quickly, even within minutes. This approach means that Doxy.me is perfectly suited to handle the urgent demand for a telemedicine solution during the coronavirus outbreak. “We’ve seen our sign-ups skyrocket over the past week, and we expect those numbers to keep doubling every day. We’re thrilled that we are in a position to make a difference in the world through our technology,” said Brandon Welch, Founder, Doxy.me. “We believe everyone should have access to telemedicine, and our focus is on assisting the providers and professionals trying to keep people safe and healthy.” By incorporating standard clinical workflows such as patient check-in and waiting room into the design of Doxy.me, healthcare providers and their patients experience a familiar and natural visit. All the patient needs to start a telemedicine visit is a web link to the doctor’s Doxy.me room using a standard computer. “Doxy.me brokers an encrypted peer-to-peer connection between a provider and the patient, meaning our server infrastructure won't become overburdened with high video load usage. This means we can scale indefinitely and can provide a free solution to healthcare providers,” said Dylan Turner, COO, Doxy.me. “Doxy.me is easy to set up, easy to use, and the pricing option is transparent. This means that my busy private-practice office can triage possible coronavirus cases and see patents who are afraid to come in. I was able to set up and implement a telemedicine option overnight,” said Jessica Baker, Baker Family Medical Associates.

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  2020-03-19

• AJ Vaccines To Develop Vaccine for COVID-19

  “This endeavor reiterates our ambition to serve the global community, not only with existing effective high-quality vaccines, but also with the development of innovative new vaccines to answer the current global challenge of coronavirus COVID-19”, says Dr Tabassum Khan, Chairman to AJ Vaccines. Committed to prevent serious disease globally “The impact of the COVID-19 disease globally is developing by the hour and we are committed to a world free of serious diseases across all generations. Our employees are aware of the current challenges and are dedicated to finding solutions to the COVID-19 challenge with state-of-the-art technology”, says Jesper Helmuth Larsen, CEO AJ Vaccines. High protection, low risk of side effects “The main principle of vaccination is to proactively induce a protective immune response by mimicking the natural interaction of infectious pathogens with our immune system. Modern antigen technology allows for the production of vaccines combining high protection with a low reactogenicity and favorable safety profile as compared to some of the more traditional vaccines. Our aim is to combine the best possibly designed antigens in such a way to mimic closely the authentic native structures of the virus. Similar technologies were previously successfully applied in US FDA-approved vaccines. In short, the use of such technology is expected to induce the relevant immune responses and therefore protect against disease with a lower risk for side effects”, concludes Jerome Cabannes, COO AJ Vaccines.

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  • Global News

  2020-03-10

• Coronavirus IS a Pandemic — WHO, Declare It Now!

  Since AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) released a statement this past Tuesday calling for World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to declare the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic - cases have soared in Italy, Iran and South Korea, and the deadly virus has also spread to Mexico and Nigeria. WHO must immediately declare COVID-19 a pandemic. AHF also calls on United Nations Secretary General António Guterres to immediately convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC), as COVID-19 has now spread to over 50 countries worldwide, further threatening global security and the response. “Whether it’s WHO declaring the coronavirus a pandemic, or ensuring emergency supplies are readily available globally - the United Nations must step up its actions on the entire outbreak response,” said AHF President Michael Weinstein. “All available assets and proven public health interventions must be rapidly deployed to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the frontline responders—because as we’ve seen in past infectious disease outbreaks, like Ebola in West and East Africa—when people and organizations fail to act responsively, thousands of people needlessly die and entire communities and regions are left devastated.” COVID-19 cases worldwide have reached nearly 84,000, resulting in nearly 2,900 deaths. While cases in China are decreasing, more and more countries, including Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Mexico and Nigeria are steadily reporting new cases. “When a deadly pathogen is killing thousands of people across dozens of countries on every continent except for Antarctica - it’s a no brainer - this is clearly a pandemic,” added Weinstein. “Our entire focus must now shift to doing all that’s necessary to save lives.”

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  • Global News

  2020-03-02

• Coronavirus IS a Pandemic — WHO, Declare It Now!

  Since AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) released a statement this past Tuesday calling for World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to declare the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic - cases have soared in Italy, Iran and South Korea, and the deadly virus has also spread to Mexico and Nigeria. WHO must immediately declare COVID-19 a pandemic. AHF also calls on United Nations Secretary General António Guterres to immediately convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC), as COVID-19 has now spread to over 50 countries worldwide, further threatening global security and the response. “Whether it’s WHO declaring the coronavirus a pandemic, or ensuring emergency supplies are readily available globally - the United Nations must step up its actions on the entire outbreak response,” said AHF President Michael Weinstein. “All available assets and proven public health interventions must be rapidly deployed to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the frontline responders—because as we’ve seen in past infectious disease outbreaks, like Ebola in West and East Africa—when people and organizations fail to act responsively, thousands of people needlessly die and entire communities and regions are left devastated.” COVID-19 cases worldwide have reached nearly 84,000, resulting in nearly 2,900 deaths. While cases in China are decreasing, more and more countries, including Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Mexico and Nigeria are steadily reporting new cases. “When a deadly pathogen is killing thousands of people across dozens of countries on every continent except for Antarctica - it’s a no brainer - this is clearly a pandemic,” added Weinstein. “Our entire focus must now shift to doing all that’s necessary to save lives.”

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  • Global News

  2020-03-02

• GWS Releases In-Depth Report, “The Future of Wellness 2020”

  Experts identify 10 future wellness trends: From the focus shifting from sleep to true circadian health, aging getting a cool rebrand, a surge in fertility and mental wellness technology and the rise of wellness music and the wellness sabbatical The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) released its top 10 wellness trends for 2020 at a press event at Hearst Tower in NYC, the new directions that the organization believes will have the most meaningful—not fleeting—impact on the $4.5 trillion global wellness industry. The trends emerged from the insights of the 550 experts from 50 nations that gathered at the recent Summit, including top economists, doctors, academics, technologists and the CEOs of international corporations across all fields of wellness—making for a uniquely informed and global set of predictions. 10 WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2020 (1) Focus Shifts from Sleep to True Circadian Health We’ve never been so sleep-obsessed. We pony up for sleep-tracking Oura rings, the latest, smartest mattresses, and meditative sleep headbands; crawl into nap pods; and travel far to bed down at sleep retreats. We gobble sleep tonics, CBD and even “sleep ice cream.” We’ve been hit by a storm of generic sleep products, driving a $432 billion “sleep economy,”* and we’re still not sleeping. Why? Because most sleep solutions, and our modern lives, defy the basic facts of circadian biology. Humans evolved to be ultra-sensitive to the 24-hour cycle of the sun. The bedrock of circadian science is that regular light/dark cycles (the bright, blue light of day, darkness at dusk) are the daily “time cues” needed to reset our circadian clocks every single day. Our magnificent, internal, light-timed circadian rhythms control almost every system in our bodies: from our sleep/wake cycles to our immune and m etabolic systems. Of course, today, we humans have created the most radical disconnect between natural solar time and our social “clocks.” Modern life is a “lightmare”: We blast our brains after dusk with blue-enriched light from ever-brighter, addictive screens, while we’re deprived of the natural sunlight of the day, trapped at desks. The result: unprecedented circadian and sleep disruptions. No smart pillow or CBD can reset circadian rhythms: The only solutions that can have the TIMING of LIGHT at their center. We predict a major shift in wellness: less focus on solutions targeting sleep/fatigue and a new focus on circadian health optimization, not only so we can sleep but to boost the brain/body systems controlled by the circadian clock. As Harvard’s Dr. Steven Lockley argues: “Circadian health optimization—incorporating the type and timing of light—will soon become more important than ‘sleep.’ Solutions that realign our internal circadian clocks with each other, and our internal clocks with the outside world, will surge.” Light—and the timing of light and biology—will become far more important, from circadian lighting to circadian diets to apps that use timed light doses to crush jet lag. More people will finally spend a few bucks on bulbs, bringing tunable, biodynamic, circadian lighting into their homes, to automatically deliver bright blue light in the day and dimmer, warmer light (think: campfire colors) at dusk. There’s an explosion of options, whether Healthe, Savant or Dyson Lightcycle. Hotels, wellness resorts and airlines have gone all-in on sleep, throwing every amenity/program imaginable at travelers’ exhaustion. Now the travel industry will think beyond the sleep massages and bed wars, and circadian science will transform travel. Jet lag is being eliminated by the Timeshifter app. Input your itinerary(s), and Timeshifter gives you a personal schedule of when you must take/avoid bright light, sleep and not sleep, etc. (Yes, you’ll be sporting sunglasses inside airports.) It works like magic; Six Senses and United Airlines have already signed on, and this light dosage-based tech could expand to “timeshifting” shift workers to new work schedules—and more. We’ll see more circadian “light moves” at destinations such as Germany’s Lanserhof Tegernsee’s circadian medicine program, with medical analyses of guests’ sleep-wake rhythms, light therapy and blue light-filter glasses at night, high-tech beds and sleepwear that optimize sleep temperature, and kill-switches in rooms that shut off all light and Wi-Fi. As the science mounts that it’s when we eat that has the profound m etabolic and weight loss consequences, intermittent fasting (eating in an 8–10-hour window) has become the hottest diet trend. But science suggests that it’s not just the “intermittency,” but the fact that eating is circadian-synched that’s the lynchpin, as humans evolved to eat in the day. We’ll see more people adopting a circadian diet: eating when it’s light, stopping when it’s dark. Circadian medicine is moving fast. In a few years, it’s likely that a single blood, saliva or breath sample will be able to pinpoint our precise circadian clock-state, and apps could then inform us when to take in light and dark, sleep and rise, and eat and exercise. We expect some circadian market mayhem ahead (very bright and dim ideas). But the right timing of light and biology will move closer to the heart of wellness. Finally. (2) Aging Rebranded: Positively Cool Baby boomers redefined aging, and now the market is finally catching up to them. Unlike previous generations, today’s 55+ are anything but boring; they’re active, vivacious, and far more engaged in exciting endeavors. Today’s retirees start businesses, run marathons, and travel widely. They own motorcycles and increasingly scoop up hip downtown condos. Even perceptions about their physicality is are underestimated: They are now the fastest-growing gym membership group and show the highest rate of frequent attendance. That’s because they have the time and money to do so. In countries such as the US and Japan, boomers control the highest percentage of disposable income. They spend nearly five hours a day on smartphones and spend more on online shopping than millennials. And yet, this powerful demographic attracts only 10 percent of marketing budgets and less than 1 percent of global innovation. The World Health Organization predicts the 60+ population will nearly double by 2050 from 12 percent to 22 percent. Companies are wising up. Across the spectrum, from beauty to food, brands now cater to this long-ignored group. They’re finally answering boomers’ call: Why shouldn’t they receive the same cool content and products as millennials? Older populations have more medical concerns, but now these issues are treated sensitively and with the same aspirational design and marketing afforded to young demographics. Willow, an underwear brand for people with incontinence, is unlike its bulky diaper-like predecessors; the collection comes in sleek designs that echo the style of trendy fashion labels. Even adult nutrition drinks are getting a much-needed makeover. Perennial is a plant-based beverage taking on industry stalwarts such as Ensure and Boost with its almond vanilla taste. Their ad campaign features buff senior citizens running on a beach with the tagline, “longevity tastes good.” We’re just at the tip of the iceberg. Industry analysts predict that more conglomerates will invest resources in the senior market, adding new products and experiences that attest to the boomers’ vibrancy. They’re living longer and healthier, and the market can no longer afford to ignore them. (3) J-Wellness Japan is the longevity nation: It has more centenarians per capita than any country on Earth. It’s a result of Japan’s unique culture of wellness, which unites ancient healing traditions with ingenious people-focused tech/design and innovative social policy. In the last few years, various Japanese wellness approaches became global trends: “Ikigai,” the lifelong pursuit of finding your true purpose; the spiritual value of minimalism and auditing our possessions (made viral by Marie Kondo); forest bathing (Shinrin-Yoku), meditative movement through the forest; and Wabi-sabi, the philosophy of embracing imperfection and transience. But these trends have been consumed piecemeal, and Japan is distinctly humble about its rich wellness assets. We think that will change: “J-Wellness” will increasingly be embraced as a holistic culture of wellbeing—from its innovations for our ageing world to the breakthroughs in J-Beauty to a reverence for nature and meditative ritual as preventative healthcare. The world is ageing at a historic pace, and Japan, the first super-ageing nation, is experiencing first what the rest of us will soon. It’s innovating for the world’s “longevity economy,” pioneering solutions that could help all of us age better, whether new technology or intergenerational community design. Japan is busy developing “age-tech,” including social robots that provide emotional and physical support for older people and smart companionship for our lonely world, whether the AI-driven PARO seal robot or Sony’s aibo puppy. Wellness is rewriting beauty—and natural, functional, prevention-focused and hyper-personalized ingredients are surging—so look for J-Beauty’s super-unique, high-nature and high-science beauty approaches and brands to rise. In Japan, purity is a cultural obsession, and J-Beauty is all about cleansing and layering light, super-hydrating products (essence lotions, such as SK II’s patented version with 50 micronutrients, and watery serums, etc.). The goal: Skin so healthy and bright (“bihaku”) makeup isn’t needed. Nature and spiritual rituals as medicine are central to Japanese culture, and their unique wellness experiences are being fast developed at home for tourists while getting exported to destinations worldwide. Japan developed forest bathing in the 80s (they boast 62 official healing forests)—and we all know how this poetic practice has exploded at wellness resorts worldwide, with everything from “forest spas” to “forest skating” now rising. Japan is home to two-thirds of all hot springs destinations, and their authentic onsen culture is evolving: New luxury onsen resorts are springing up across Japan, and the onsen experience is now being exported to China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia by Japanese companies such as Hoshino Resorts. Japan is out in front of a rising wellness travel trend, the monastery stay, having opened up hundreds of Buddhist temples to tourists, and even creating an Airbnb of monastery booking (Terahaku). It’s bringing attention to ancient Japanese wellness approaches such as Shojin Ryori, the vegan temple food prepared by monks, a way of eating that’s all about contemplation. The communal, meditative ritual of the tea ceremony is now a hot wellness trend. All eyes will be on Japan this summer as they host the Olympics. It will spur fascination with J-Wellness, an ever-evolving culture of ancient-meets-hyper-modern approaches, products and solutions for wellbeing. (4) Mental Wellness and Technology: Rethinking the Relationship Awareness of the need to address mental health has grown significantly in the last few years. A broad category, this includes mental illness and neurological disorders but also new categories spanning anxiety, stress and despair. Issues such as climate change-induced anxiety and work-induced stress are commonplace. Last year, the World Health Organization declared “burnout” an official medical diagnosis. Currently, the biggest barriers to treatment remain stigma, time, cost and availability. Many people wait weeks for a doctor’s appointment, provided they can even afford it. Others fear parking outside a therapist’s office, lest their neighbors see them. As such, both the public and private sectors increasingly look to advance solutions at scale. Silicon Valley, for example, released an impressive array of digital solutions to ensure more individuals receive discreet and flexible care. Nearly 10,000 mental health apps currently crowd the market, ranging from behavioral health coaching to meditation content. Affordable virtual therapy apps such as TalkSpace give patients the ability to call, text and video teleconference with professional counselors on their schedule, whereas chatbots serve as a listening friend on-demand. There are now wearables that monitor a user’s physiological signals throughout the day to prevent oncoming panic attacks. On the more experimental end, virtual reality is being used as an exposure therapy tool for PTSD survivors. Some start-ups are even going so far as to gamify mental wellness, a trend that’s seeing an uptick in younger demographics. Nearly a million people have played SuperBetter, an app in which players accrue points by persevering through stressful situations, completing breathing exercises and breaking bad habits. Mental health tech will move into the mainstream as cultural norms continue to shift. Industry analysts predict the next year will see a big spike in the adoption of telehealth, both in the mental healthcare space as well as primary care. Consumers’ embrace of convenient treatment as well as interest in self-care will transform how employers, universities and local governments offer subsidized mental wellness care. (5) Energy Medicine Gets Serious Think “energy medicine,” and you think wellness world: all those practices aimed at healing the human “energy body,” whether acupuncture, chakra balancing, reiki, crystal healing, etc.—often decried as “woo woo” wellness. Western medicine and ancient medicines (TCM, Ayurveda and Shamanic traditions) do take radically different approaches to healing: The former embraces the anatomical/biochemical model while the major indigenous medical systems independently devised healing approaches based on interventions in the body’s energy fields (whether “qi” in TCM or the doshas in Ayurveda). Despite polar-opposite approaches, traditional medicine and “ancient wellness” are now finding some common ground. Scientific researchers are discovering that the human body is indeed a complex biofield of electromagnetic frequencies and light waves that serve as control central for our physical and mental functioning—and that we’re also immersed in other complex environmental electromagnetic fields that change human cells. If medicine ignored the “energy body” for a century, new discoveries are shaking up entrenched thinking in biology. The future is the medical AND wellness worlds innovating new tools and technologies to optimize human energy fields to prevent illness and boost health. Frequency therapies are crucial here: electromagnetic, light and sound interventions. In medicine, electrifying new insights will keep coming around bioelectricity, the “organized lightning” that our cells use to grow and communicate. Michael Levin at Harvard’s Wyss Institute is just one top scientist uncovering the bioelectric “language” that cells use to coordinate everything from their own regeneration to cancer suppression. Biophotons are the light particles radiating from our cells that help regulate our biological systems—and the emerging field of Biophotonics will use coherent light (lasers, lighted crystals) to positively impact tissues and organs. New “optogenetic” tools are exciting neurons using light, allowing them to map the brain’s connections and activate brain circuits. Humans are increasingly bombarded by electromagnetic frequencies in our hyper-networked world, which will only surge with the next-gen cell network 5G, unleashing an unprecedented storm of high-energy photons through our dwellings and bodies. The science around cellphones’ impact on health is shrilly contradictory, but electromagnetic pollution will be the new public health issue. The future: solutions shielding us from the biophotonic blitz. Architects will design homes, schools and workplaces to maintain a healthy human energy field. Wellness resorts and real estate developers are already making moves: At Germany’s Villa Stephanie, a flick of a button copper-lines your room so electricity and Wi-Fi is blocked; Troon Pacific’s luxury homes have shielded cables in bedroom walls to block exposure to electromagnetic fields, and flipping lights off at night also means flipping off Wi-Fi. More wellness destinations will go “high energy”: serving up even more ancient energy medicines, more cutting-edge energy technologies, and more blending of both ancient and modern solutions. Six Senses Resorts’ “Grow a New Body” program—dubbed “neo-shamanism”—deploys many approaches to fix your energy body. On the modern side, energy-medicine evaluations with doctors, light therapies, altitude training, and ozone and oxygen therapies—while ancient shamanic approaches include mitochondria-boosting diets, fasting, plant medicine, and intensive spiritual work to clear negative emotions. Energy medicine is at a pivotal moment, with the medical world and “ancient wellness” finding some common—at least in principle—theoretical ground. Common ground leads to new conversations and solutions. “Energy futures” in health and wellness: a very strong “buy.” (6) Organized Religion Jumps into Wellness If going to church once meant dolling up in a dress to sit in a pew, today it might look more like wearing leggings for a HIIT-infused sermon. More and more, faith is incorporating the latest wellness trends, signifying a shift away from viewing bodywork as vanity. With interest in health and fitness at an all-time high, organized religion is reimagining age-old rituals and formats. For some churches, synagogues and mosques, this adoption simply reflects a desire to feel better and to take preventative health measures. Congregations no longer want to separate their physical and spiritual needs but instead, hope to fuse them together in novel new ways. This ranges from aerobic fitness classes to meditative retreats, all reworked with religious liturgy and biblical references. There are now boutique fitness studios solely devoted to worship or which cater to religious constraints. We see Ramadan bootcamps, Jewish Sabbath service hikes, Christian wellness retreats, Catholic Pilates classes and Muslim fitness YouTube channels. For other religious institutions, these new measures constitute a blatant appeal to younger worshippers, especially millennials. A 2018 Pew Research Center study found that adults under age 40 are far less likely to believe religion is “very important” in their lives than older groups. To make Sunday service more relevant, religious leaders add elements that speak to this demographic: meditation, nutrition, and connection to nature, among other interests. One Los Angeles synagogue offers a yoga class on Yom Kippur. This extends beyond brick-and-mortar. Groups also expand audiences through wellness apps and platforms. Faithful Workouts is an online Christian ministry of streaming workouts infused with sermons and Christian music, whereas Soultime is an app providing guided meditation through a religious lens. While the bulk of this trend depends on independent churches and start-ups, we’ll start to see megachurches, national religious organizations, and more influential leaders further embrace this trend. Many institutions now start to see health and wellness initiatives as a crucial part of tending to parishioners’ wellbeing. (7) The Wellness Sabbatical The current vacation model: work like mad and take a week of vacation where you’re supposed to totally switch off. A great model, but one that doesn’t work for many people anymore. As work has become “always-on,” more people aren’t taking their vacation days, and vastly more people are remote/independent workers with no formal vacation time. The reality: More people desperately need a profound wellness break, but they need to keep working. Shaming them for not taking vacations—or not totally unplugging when they do—feels naïve. Enter a new travel concept: the wellness sabbatical, where days of work and wellness are intentionally blended, at destinations that actively, creatively make this possible. On a wellness sabbatical, you’re set up to work a few productive hours a day (great workspaces, technology), but you also schedule a lot of daily wellness experiences (healthy food, movement, time in nature, sleep, human connection, etc.). And repeat, hopefully for a minimum of three weeks, that sweet spot to jumpstart lasting lifestyle changes and for a true mental reset. The time we dedicate to recharging has shrunk: from the three-week-long “taking a kur” common in Europe a few decades ago to that weekend wellness getaway. It’s time for the pendulum to swing longer, and the work+wellness sabbatical model makes it possible. Kamalaya in Thailand just unveiled a Wellbeing Sabbatical program, which (with a minimum 21-day stay) goes far deeper than a mere “recharge,” and where the comprehensive daily healing experiences (including personal mentoring) are flexibly designed around guests’ work schedules. Vana in India just unveiled its 30-day wellness sabbatical, where great technology and workspaces mean having that conference call after an appointment with a Tibetan Healing doctor. At Mexico’s Rancho La Puerta, execs are checking into casitas with private pools and offices to interweave a few hours of work each day with immersion in their 365-degree wellness offerings. We predict more top wellness resorts, typically designed around 1–2 week stays, will expand to 21-day, flexible work+wellness programs. And don’t fear, inexpensive, hip, wellness-sabbatical-enabling destinations are brewing, with the surge in co-living/co-working platforms for the digital nomad (that are increasingly serving up wellness programming)—whether Outsite or for-women Behere. Selina offers co-working/living and wellness at destinations from Portugal to Panama, where days are spent working, hanging with the tribe, surfing, doing yoga, etc.—and where wellness practitioners stay free for teaching. Creative models abound: At Gather in Israel, stay a month, work, and experience the “wellness kibbutz” lifestyle; Amble offers super-affordable, one-month nature sabbaticals for creative types at US National Parks. Why go home? Why have a home? Transformation comes from longer wellness experiences, but most of us have jobs. That’s the heartbeat of the wellness sabbatical, a concept we think will hit hundreds of destinations—and could shake up the future of travel, wellness and work. (8) The Fertility Boom Fertility is no longer a taboo topic hushed about in doctor’s offices. The last few years saw incredible progress in this space on multiple fronts. Celebrities and newsmakers ranging from Kim Kardashian to Mark Zuckerberg shared their personal experiences; numerous countries expanded their health coverage to include IVF; while Silicon Valley funded a number of start-ups attempting to solve every issue impacting fertility—for both men and women. These advancements couldn’t come sooner: Fertility has reached a crisis point across the globe. Highly industrialized countries such as England, Japan and the US continue to see record-low fertility rates, which will ultimately impact the future of the workforce. There are multiple reasons at play, but the most dominant one is that women of childbearing age delay having children. Not that they’re the sole party: Research shows that male sperm quality begins to decline at age 35, making men just as susceptible to a ticking biological clock. So, what does fertility care look like today? Nothing like your mother’s healthcare. The landscape is filled with apps, period trackers, platforms, and wearables that not only increase one’s chances of conceiving but even attempt to make it, well, enjoyable. Community support networks such as Peanut Trying to Conceive make it a less lonesome journey, while Tinder-like partner-matching app Just A Baby lets one swipe through potential baby daddies. Even the fertility clinic, once a dreaded place to get poked and prodded, has been transformed. A medley of newcomers reimagine IVF treatment, much like a spa experience—champagne, hors d’oeuvres, concierge service, and a decor that’s more akin to a fashion boutique. Trendy bicoastal US clinic Kindbody takes it one step further by taking the show on the road: It launched a roaming bus to conduct fertility tests and encourage young women to take family planning more seriously. Of course, treatments don’t come cheap. In the US, for example, the average couple can spend up to $60,000 for IVF treatment. Suck sticker shock inspired several start-ups specifically devoted to flexible financing services. Some of them are rather creative, ranging from a “fertility debit card” to financial plans for eager-to-be grandparents who can take a loan out on behalf of their adult children. So far, women’s health start-ups are believed to have secured over $1 billion in investment, and of that, 60 percent is focused on fertility or pregnancy. It’s just the start of what many see as a femtech revolution. (9) Wellness Music We all self-medicate through music, but most people don’t grasp just how powerful the medical evidence for music therapy is: Humans are hardwired for music; no other stimulus positively activates so many brain regions; and stringent studies show its dramatic impact on mood, anxiety and pain. If formal “music therapy” has always seemed a tad dowdy, now, suddenly, something big is happening. Music as an intentional therapy is being radically reinvented by new technologies. Music is emerging as one of the hottest trends in wellness, and wellness concepts are shaking up the massive music industry. “Wellness music” is being born, and the trend takes provocative forms. There’s a big uptick in scientific research identifying how music’s structural properties (such as beat, key, chord progression, etc.) specifically impact the brain and biometrics such as heart rate and sleep patterns—so evidence-based music and soundscapes can be developed as precision medicine. Music therapy’s potential is so immense that the NIH just awarded $20 million to fund a Sound Health Initiative to uncover music’s brain mechanisms and new applications to treat everything from PTSD to autism. That’s serious money for serious science. The trend is also being fueled by our exhaustion with visual culture and screens: More of us are retreating into music and sound, as evidenced by everything from the surge in podcast-listening to the rise of hip “vinyl listening bars.” The mainstream music industry is pivoting to “wellness music.” There’s an explosion of wellbeing playlists (stress-reducing, sleep-focused, etc.) at the big streaming sites such as Spotify. There’s big, new audiences for ambient and now actually cool “New New Age” music. Musical artists—from Erykah Badu and Jhene Aiko to bands such as Sigur Rós—are incorporating all kinds of wellness into their concerts, whether mass sound baths, meditation or aromatherapy. Full-blown audio-wellness festivals are rising. “Wellness” is becoming a new mode of listening—beyond the artist or genre. A fascinating development: the rise of “generative” music, with apps that pull your biological, psychological and situational data to create a tailor-made-for-you, always-changing soundscape—to improve your mental health any time you want to tune in. Berlin-based Endel is the headline-grabber, and their app deploys biometrics, AI and algorithms to create a personalized ambient wellness composition that just keeps blossoming as your bio and environmental input provides more data—whether you’re stressed in traffic or headed out for a run. At London’s wellness music sanctuary Wavepaths, founded by a neuroscientist and leading psilocybin researcher, you nest in an egg-pod, sensors gauge your biological and emotional states, and AI translates that data into a healing composition that courses through you via 21 surrounding speakers. (Music that simulates psychedelic experiences will rise.) Meditation apps are morphing into wellness music apps. New player Wave foregoes the old whispery, guided meditations for an all-wellness-music platform that, combined with its pulse-vibrating bolster, delivers multi-frequency meditation. Mega-meditation app Calm is evolving into a “wellness music” platform. Their incredibly popular “Sleep” channel features compositions by alt-rock stars such as Moby and Sabrina Carpenter designed to work as adult lullabies. In 2020, they’re working with famous artists—whether country or hip-hop stars—to create new, long-form “Calm” music for wellbeing (essentially becoming a wellness record label). We’ll see ear-opening, new music and sound experiences at travel destinations. Wellness resorts have launched so many sound baths, they’ve become a collective, mind-melting “Gong Show”—and the ancient sonic journeys aren’t going anywhere. More wellness studios, such as London’s Mind Like Water, will put rich menus of sound healing under one roof, whether Ayurvedic sound therapy massage or CBD sound journeys. Some really new acoustic experiences will hit wellness travel. “Deep listening” in noise-protected nature looks to be a fascinating development. In Amazon Awakenings’ “Let it Happen” trip, acoustical ecologist Gordon Hempton leads travelers on an “interactive sound journey” in the sonically stupendous Ecuadorean rain forest, at the first noise-pollution-free “Wilderness Quiet Park.” You learn to recover your lost animal-alert, 360-degree hearing, and practice “deep listening exercises” to identify the natural “drumbeats, violins, raindrops and choruses” around you. People will pit artist-created music against new, neuroscientist-designed wellness soundscapes. But this trend isn’t about giving up your Bob Dylan or Beyoncé fixes—it’s about seeing music’s health potential anew, with far more “wellness music” options: radical new technologies, experiments and experiences. (10) In Wellness We Trust: The Science Behind the Industry Wellness is by nature a consumer industry: It evolved to supplement what traditional medicine hasn’t tackled well, whether prevention, lifestyle change or mental wellness. But because it’s a hyper-consumer, largely unregulated, $4.5 trillion market, there’s been a storm of baseless claims about pseudo-scientific products and Instagram and celeb “wellness influencers” for hire. It’s one thing when a wellness approach has little benefit but does no harm—but when a “flat tummy tea” loaded with laxatives does real harm, the situation is serious. The industry has been ripe for more rigorous reckoning—whether through media criticism, internal company policing, new vetting and evidence platforms, or government regulation. And the time has come. Wellness watchdogs will rise, trying to re-establish some distinctions between legitimate wellness approaches and practitioners and charlatans who give wellness a bad name. People want help separating wheat from chaff, and more resources will help them do it. We’ll see more online call-out platforms, such as Instagram collective Estée Laundry, which goes after the false claims of influencers and brands in the beauty industry. (Online platforms that take on the wider wellness space are likely ahead.) We’ll see more vetting and certification sites such as UK-based WellSpoken, whose content tries to counter wellness pseudoscience and certifies brands. WellSet is trying to take on questionable wellness practices with a marketplace where people can find reputable local specialists. More companies will self-police, such as CVS Pharmacy’s recent “Tested to Be Trusted” initiative, which subjected all of its supplements and vitamins to third-party testing so what a customer sees on a label is what they get. Most people wouldn’t want the government regulating yoga or meditation, but we predict more governments will become bigger watchdogs of supplements and falsehood-in-wellness- marketing. While most governments (such as the US) don’t require that supplements have to work or even be safe, US Senator Richard Blumenthal recently went fast and furious after the makers of “flat tummy teas”—with legislative outcome. Ireland requires that wellness marketers’ online statements conform to the language requirements on EU nutrition and health claims. This fall, the US created firm standards for hemp and CBD production. There are tens of thousands of medical studies on wellness approaches, despite the fact that the wellness world isn’t on an even playing field, lacking the deep pockets of Big Pharma to conduct big trials among large populations over long periods of time. But there are resources to help you explore all the hard science: The just-upgraded wellnessevidence.com provides direct access to the universe of medical evidence (pro or con) for 28 wellness approaches—from acupuncture to yoga—at the top databases that doctors use: Cochrane, PubMed, TRIP—and also alternative medicine-focused Natural Standards. We’re in a wider cultural crisis now over fact and fiction; science and belief; and shrill opinion versus collective, consensual notions of reality and truth. We hope truth makes a comeback, and in wellness, more watchdogs will help. *Frost & Sullivan assessment for Casper, 2019

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  2020-01-31