Chinese outbound tourism will shape the future of the global wellness industry for years to come. Not only because Chinese tourists are becoming much more health/wellness conscious, but because the Chinese traveling population is so incredibly massive, that even a marginal future increase means big numbers.
Trend to Watch: Will Global Populism Negatively Impact Tourism?
The issue of whether global populism is negatively impacting tourism in general – and wellness tourism in particular – is a burning one, but not easy to address right now. When you look at countries like Turkey or the U.S., there are so many causes to disentangle. Malleret argues that in the long term, countries that “turn inward” will ultimately deter tourism and lose travellers to other more welcoming destinations.
Wellness Evidence Study: Trendy Fasting Delivers No Unique Weight Loss Benefits
Alternate-day fasting has become a trending weight loss strategy, but a new trial on overweight/obese people showed that it offered the exact same benefits as traditional calorie restriction. Randomizing people into those that did every-other-day fasting or a diet restricted to 75 percent less daily calories, researchers found that at six months both the fasters and calorie restriction group lost 6.8 percent of weight (with no difference in blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.). But the fasters saw the biggest dropout rate.
VIDEO: The Naked Truth about European Spa & Wellness Traditions
Europe pioneered spa/bathing culture thousands of years ago – and it’s a surprising history. Watch global spa experts (moderated by Anna Bjurstam, VP, Six Senses Hotel & Resorts) discuss some “naked truths” about unique European traditions.
Wellness Architecture: Teen Sports Utopias Rise in Old Industrial Buildings
The Danish charity, GAME, is creating utopian spaces fashioned out of abandoned warehouses where teens can skateboard, play sports and even create animation – combining wellness with architectural revitalization.
GWI Roundtable: The Future of Wellness in the Baltics
The GWI’s Eastern European Initiative recently hosted an expert roundtable – moderated by Initiative Chair, Alla Sokolova, and held in collaboration with the Baltic Spa Association – to discuss best practices, trends, opportunities, and challenges for the spa and wellness industry in the Baltics region.
