Wellness Tourism Initiative
The purpose of this Wellness Tourism Initiative is to increase awareness, understanding and the opportunities in one of the fastest growing tourism segments globally. The GWI Global Wellness Tourism Initiative will be instrumental in:
- Sharing best practices on Wellness Tourism Destination development, policy, and marketing globally
- Fostering a greater understanding of the global wellness traveler
- Promoting the value and opportunity of this segment to stakeholders
Our intended audience is tourism industry stakeholders, including but not limited to travel suppliers & distributors, transportation & hospitality brands, DMCs/DMOs, tourism boards, NGOs, and service providers to this set of organizations. Learn More
The Latest News and Resources
Objectives
- Clearly define the term wellness tourism destination and its context
- Identify criteria that make a great wellness destination
- Demonstrate global best practice by countries, regions and cities in wellness tourism destination development and promotion
- Identify the key success metrics and components required for a wellness tourism destination to succeed
- Identify consumer trends in wellness and travel that are impacting and shaping consumer demand and destination selection
Initiative Leadership
Initiative Chair
Katherine Droga, Founder, Droga & Co., Australia
Katherine Droga is passionate about the transformational effect travel can have for people and the planet. She is the founder of several global wellness platforms, including the Wellness Tourism Industry Summit, Wellness Wander Festival, Well Traveller TV, and welltraveller.com.au. Her consultancy firm, Droga & Co., specializes in wellness and sustainable visitor strategies and capacity building for destinations, tourism experiences, and events worldwide. Katherine has worked for over 25 years, successfully leading teams and brands in the tourism and media sector. She was previously part of the executive leadership team for Tourism Australia and led the organizations international operations, distribution platforms, and partnerships for over a decade. Katherine is proud to be an advisor to the Transformational Travel Council, the Australian Ambassador for Global Wellness Day, and a champion for kid’s wellbeing initiatives globally.
Vice-Chair
Lindsay Madden-Nadeau, Senior Director Wellness Strategy & Development, Red Sea Global – Saudi Arabia & Founder, Meraki Bespoke Wellness Strategies – Cote D’Azur, France
Lindsay brings 24 years of global experience with top hospitality leaders. She currently leads Wellness Strategy at Red Sea Global in Saudi Arabia, overseeing two giga projects under the Saudi 2030 vision to create the world’s most comprehensive integrated wellness destination. Known as an industry disruptor, Lindsay has managed and opened over 75 spas and is a founding partner at Meraki Bespoke Wellness Strategies, a consultancy focused on social and environmental well-being. Previously, she spent seven years as Global Director of Well-being at Accor for luxury brands like Raffles and Fairmont, developing global well-being strategies from brand creation to project management. Lindsay recently completed the Cambridge University Sustainability Leadership program for Sustainable Real Estate, using this expertise to elevate and transform wellness brands.
Initiative Members
Meet the renowned thought leaders in this field who are collaborating to educate and evolve wellness in this area of global importance.
Resources
View the research, trends, whitepapers, infographics and more from this Initiative, as well as a curated list of third party resources.
Contact Initiative
Please fill out the form so we can learn more about you, which Initiative you are interested in and how you would like to be involved.
