GLOBAL SPA & WELLNESS SUMMIT URBANISATION By 2030 we will have moved away from suburbanisation to urbanisation, with 80 per cent of all people living in urban settings. Delegates at the GSWS heard that the perception of the world as 200 countries would quickly shift to one of 600 cities, whose inhabitants would crave nature and simplicity, but also extreme fitness, beauty and wellness.
THE LONELINESS EPIDEMIC “We used to die of old age; soon we’ll be dying of loneliness,” said Kjell Nordstrom. He said urbanisation, technology and demographic shifts were driving an overarching sense of ‘aloneness’ that spa and wellness centres would help abate. Thirty years from now, 60 per cent of households will be single. (In Stockholm, 64 per cent of households are already single and in Amsterdam, 60 per cent.) As an industry based on contact and touch, spas can combat this trend, connecting people in a world that has created a dependence on screens for company.
WELLNESS TOURISM MOMENTUM Less than a year ago, the GSWS and longterm research partner SRI International launched the concept of wellness tourism. Today, governments and companies are embracing this key market segment with an estimated value of US$ 494 billion and growth of 12.5 per cent year on year. Unique approaches to wellness tourism are being seen across the globe. For example, VisitFinland markets silence as its biggest resource, while a Congolese safari company promises to put a child through school with each booking.
AUTHENTIC AFRICAN RENAISSANCE Indigenous and authentic experiences will lead many travellers to countries they have never experienced before; and Africa – a continent little understood by most of the world and often associated with disease and chaos by the mainstream media – will be at the heart of this explosion in wellness tourism. This will be furthered with a clearer recognition of the cultural identities and unique approaches to health, wellbeing and beauty in the 50-plus countries that make up Africa. Spa revenue in Africa is already on the
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rise with new data showing an impressive 186 per cent growth from 2007 to 2013 in sub-Saharan Africa. African panellists warned delegates not to subvert Africa’s unique spa and wellness identity in a spalike sheen. The Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development (SMIT) – host country sponsor of this year’s summit – has put spa and wellness at the front and centre of its tourism initiatives; and with US$ 253 million in annual spa revenues, the country ranks second in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
TECHNOLOGY ON FAST FORWARD For good or bad, according to Paul Price, keynote speaker and retail and marketing expert, technology will not only remain at the forefront of our world but will embed itself even deeper, altering the way we do everything. He told delegates: “Don’t be seduced by bright and shiny objects and don’t let the technology drive your decisions. Instead, consider moving your tech department into your marketing department so the IT team is driven by the marketers and not the other way around.” He said new currencies would be developed, 3D printing would deliver products on demand, wearable technology would shape wellness, and location specific marketing would push offers. And, at some point, information overload would send people looking for a health and wellness concierge to help sift through all the information and simplify our choices.
WELLNESS COMMUNITIES MAKE A COMEBACK Before the economic downturn there was a lot of talk of ‘spa real estate’ but many of these projects crashed and burned along with the economy. Now, whole communities are being designed and branded with wellness at their very core. Mixed use properties – a combination of hotels and residences – have emerged as a potentially viable financial model in this sector. Serenbe, a community outside Atlanta, has been designed with well-being informing every decision, creating a new kind of community with sustainability, green building, organic farming, culture, arts and fitness at its core. For more information, visit: www.gsws.org
PICTURED: Elaine Okeke-Martin and Dzigbordi K. Dosoo