China’s Wellness Surge Pushed into High Gear by Pandemic–Glossy, July 28, 2020
In China, there’s not an all-encompassing “wellness” industry, but fitness, healthy food and supplements were growing fast pre-pandemic, especially among millennial and Gen Z consumers. Agility Research found that “living a healthy lifestyle” ranked as the top life priority for young Chinese consumers, even over finding love or achieving financial success. The article looks at how COVID-19 has rapidly accelerated different Chinese wellness segments, with 70% of Chinese Internet users significantly increasing their purchases of healthy products during the last few months.
The Death of the City–Politico, August 3, 2020
This article argues that teleworking, spurred by COVID, is making urban living an obsolete concept. A key reason is that for the first time since the earliest cities emerged, some 6,000 years ago, concentrated urban centers no longer have a monopoly on the economic and cultural connections that make civilizations progress. Another compelling reason: Companies see this as an opportunity for cost-cutting (30% of workers across the OECD can fully adjust to remote work). If it happens, the end of the office will transform the urban landscape. “Workers, unshackled from their morning commute, will be free to gravitate to suburbs and the countryside.”
Struggling Tourist Destinations Pitch Themselves to New Digital Nomads as Remote Work Locales–SKIFT, August 5, 2020
The pandemic may accelerate the existing trend of work-from-anywhere digital nomads in an unexpected way—and some travel destinations are taking notice and creating new offerings at a time when leisure travel is decimated.
Forget Spas and Bars. Hotels Tout Housekeeping to Lure Back Travelers–New York Times, August 4, 202
Hilton has partnered with Lysol, Four Seasons with Johns Hopkins Medicine. But new research shows hotels can be easily contaminated by the coronavirus. What other brands are doing to allay traveler worries.
A Striking Stat:
Americans Report Highest Levels of Stress, Norwegians Lowest, during COVID-19
A global survey of 10 wealthy nations found that during COVID-19, Americans were the most likely to report (33%) “great stress, anxiety or sadness that was difficult to cope with.” The next most stressed nations: Canada (26%) and the UK (26%). Norway reported the lowest stress and sadness levels, at 10%.
Source: Commonwealth Fund survey, May 2020
