MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION The age of digital authoritarianism and the reign of techno-autocrats are upon us. China is leading the way with their new “Social Ranking” Initiative, tracking people’s behavior (such as their health/fitness) and rewarding and punishing with things such as access to healthcare or government services. But eventually all countries will follow suit with different degrees of intensity: If (or when)…
The International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) took place in Singapore last week, and strategic consultancy CatchOn (in collaboration with the conference) released a very insightful new report, Asia: The Future of Global Wellness Tourism. It analyzes why Asia is at the heart of the wellness boom and what the biggest wellness travel trends are in the region. It also identifies three key consumer archetypes driving…
For most metrics measuring human progress (ranging from GDP-per-capita to life expectancy), we’ve never had a better life; yet a surprising number of individuals in high-income countries (most notably in the Anglo-Saxon world) feel miserable at work (where we spend a third of our adult life). The reasons are manifold and hard to address for traditional companies: purposeless jobs, punitive hours, dreadful commutes, “always-on” culture,…
MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION “Brexeternity”—At the eleventh hour, all options are back on the table, from May’s deal to a no-deal, from a softer Brexit to a second referendum. But irrespective of the actual outcome, Brexit won’t be over any time soon. For years to come, the British economy, society and politics will be consumed by wrangling and negotiations with the EU (and the…
Last week, at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, GWI’s CEO Susie Ellis presented the latest research and trends for MENA wellness tourism markets at the GWI’s annual Wellness Symposium, this year focused on the opportunities in both medical tourism and wellness tourism. Key findings: In terms of recent growth percentages, no world wellness tourism market is growing faster than MENA’s: 13.4 percent annually and…
This recent article in Quartz looks at what may prove one of the most unexpected but exceedingly societal and investment-relevant global trends in the coming decades: A growing movement of people around the world are hesitating about having children due to deep concerns about climate change. It looks at BirthStrike: an online community founded in England whose members have decided “not to bear children due…
