The Global Wellness
Summit (GWS) has announced that a hot topic at its conference, being held in Dubai from
November 18 to 21, will be the shifting consumer desires and the best new ideas
emerging in the wellness tourism space.
The pandemic sparked a
seemingly permanent shift: people demanding more wellness in travel.
Global Wellness
Institute research reveals that the wellness tourism, spa and hot springs
markets clocked roughly 30% growth in 2023 (the last year studied),
representing by far the fastest growth rates for any wellness sectors. The GWI
projects that the global wellness tourism market will reach $1.35 trillion by
2028.
As generational,
income and gender divides continue to grow in culture and in wellness, travellers’ preferences
are becoming more specific, complex and even contradictory.
For example, we are
witnessing an unprecedented surge in medical-wellness and longevity
destinations with full menus of doctors and diagnostics, but also a rising
hunger for destinations focused on mental and emotional wellness, deep nature,
spirituality, and planetary health.
The Summit will bring
together executives from the largest (if very different) brands in wellness
travel and hospitality, along with investors and academics who study the space,
to debate where the future is headed and to answer the questions: “What are the
big shifts and big ideas?”
Keynotes will also
explore the future of the explosive $19 billion Middle East wellness tourism
market, by far the biggest growth leader worldwide, at 12% annually from 2019
to 2023.
“In the last few
years, the wellness travel market has not only clocked eye-opening growth, but
it has also changed significantly, with far more diverse, specific and
sophisticated offerings,” said Susie Ellis, GWS chair and CEO. “The caliber of
speakers joining us in Dubai––from the leaders of companies that pioneered the
space to executives creating ‘startup’ concepts––underscores just how much
momentum there is for wellness tourism, and I expect conversations that will
inspire and challenge the industry.”
LONGEVITY CLINICS: THE HEADLINE-GRABBERS
With the GWS’s theme of
“Longevity Through a Wellness Lens,” both long-established and new longevity
players will explore an integrative medical-wellness future, discussing the
most promising new interventions emerging at the spawning “healthspan hubs.”
A power panel of
leaders from Europe’s pioneering medical-wellness longevity destinations,
including Dr. Elke Benedetto-Reisch (Lanserhof Tegernsee), George Gaitanos (Chenot),
and Simone Gibertoni (Clinique La Prairie), will discuss the unique
aspects and the future of the European approach to longevity and health. Anita
Mendiratta, global advisor on tourism and national development, moderates.
On the longevity
startup side, Sam Nazarian, renowned hospitality entrepreneur and founder
of sbe and the coming longevity destinations, the Estate, will join Shawn
Buchheit, president and COO of preventative diagnostics leader, Fountain Life,
to discuss what’s ahead in the new convergence of longevity, luxury and
hospitality.
Presenting a
counterpoint to the longevity mania, Ömer Isvan, president of Servotel, a
leading global hospitality and real estate development consultancy, will discuss
the current realities in hospitality investment and development, challenging whether
longevity plays such an important role.
THE FUTURE? FAR MORE THAN LONGEVITY CLINICS
While medical longevity destinations, high-tech biohacking and super-optimisation have seized the conversation, keynotes will explore “other futures” in wellness travel, given the rising desire for more deeply human and emotional, as well as planet-focused, destinations and solutions.
Manvendra Singh Shekhawat, managing director of hotel group Suryagarh Collection, will shift the conversation to the dire need to focus on the longevity of the planet, and his work on Dhun, an extraordinary new project set on a 500-acre bioreserve outside Jaipur, India, which transformed barren land into a thriving ecosphere.
Anna Bjurstam, wellness pioneer at Six Senses, will argue that spirituality is the future pillar of longevity and wellness travel.
Debbie Flynn, managing partner and global travel practice leader for FINN Partners, joins Phillip J. Jones, chief tourism officer for the Royal Commission for AlUla in Saudi Arabia, to argue that nature, indigenous heritage and healing will drive the future of wellness tourism in the Middle East.
Neil Jacobs, former
CEO of Six Senses, will reflect on lessons learned from building that soulful,
sustainable, super-successful brand, his own “wild origins,” and his vision of
a “wild” future for travel, sharing new work with Capella Group and Cain
International.
THE BIG PICTURE AND THE BIG CHALLENGES
Keynotes and panels will look at the “big picture” of how wellness is impacting travel and hospitality––as well as some major challenges and how to start solving them.
Jeremy Jauncey,
founder and CEO of Beautiful Destinations, in conversation with Philippe Zuber,
CEO of Kerzner International, parent company of the new SIRO brand focused on
holistic fitness and recovery, will discuss how to build a breakthrough brand
in a hyper-competitive market.
Meng-Mei Chen,
professor at École hôtelière de Lausanne, will address how hospitality is now
facing a perfect storm of major societal shifts, talent shortages, and new
technologies, and how creating “hospitality vibes” by driving meaningful
connections is the key to future resilience.
The Global Wellness
Institute, releasing its 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor, will unveil
all-new data on the wellness tourism, spa and thermal/mineral springs markets:
how much they’ve grown, why, and where.
THE MIDDLE EAST: GLOBAL MOVER
Keynotes and panels
will tackle the future of the fast-evolving, incredibly ambitious Middle East
wellness tourism market.
Lindsay Madden-Nadeau,
senior director of wellness strategy for Red Sea Global, a real estate
developer with a vast portfolio across tourism, residential, healthcare, and
more (including Saudi Arabia’s regenerative tourism destinations, The Red Sea
and AMAALA) will host a panel on “The Next Frontier of Wellness Tourism in the
Middle East.”
Unique after-dinner
conversations will continue to tackle the future of wellness in
hospitality. One of these conversations will represent a major milestone by
bringing together leaders from the big global hotel brands—TJ Abrams, vice
president of global wellbeing at Hyatt; Amanda Al-Masri, global head of
wellness at Hilton; and Suzanne Holbrook, global head spa, fitness and
wellness at Marriott International—traditionally fierce rivals. Together they
will answer the question: “What can we accomplish together that we can’t
alone?” It’s designed to drive much-needed industry collaboration and
problem-solving.
Another conversation, led by Anjan Chatterjee,
MD, professor of neurology, psychology & architecture at the
University of Pennsylvania, and Ömer Isvan, will explore the future of neuroaesthetics
in hospitality. -TradeArabia News Service