Ministers of Tourism and Industry VIPs Will Gather in New
Delhi, India to Shape Booming Wellness Tourism Market. SRI International To
Present “Wellness Tourism Economic Impact Study,” First Research to Benchmark
This Travel Category.
New York, NY (PRWEB) February 28, 2013
The Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) today announced that a dedicated
Global Wellness Tourism Congress will be held in conjunction with the Summit
taking place in New Delhi, India from October 5-7, 2013. The Congress will bring
together ministers of tourism and other wellness tourism thought-leaders to
shape the best strategies to promote and grow this fast-emerging travel
category.
Taking place on Saturday, October 5, 2013 (the first day of the GSWS), the
Congress’ full-day agenda will include the presentation of case studies
illustrating unique, successful national wellness tourism campaigns – along with
critical findings from a new SRI International* research report, the first to
analyze the scope of, and predicted future growth for, the global wellness
tourism sector.
“Within the estimated $2 trillion global tourism economy, wellness tourism is
a market that has explosive growth potential, given the demographic, economic
and lifestyle trends in both high-income and rapidly developing countries,” said
Ophelia Yeung, Co-Director, Center for Science, Technology and Economic
Development, SRI International. “Yet, too few industry stakeholders and
consumers fully understand this new travel category, leading to missed
opportunities for both. By quantifying the size and impact of global wellness
tourism, and identifying best promotional practices, this Congress and new
research should educate – and reverberate with – governments and wellness
businesses around the world.”
SRI International pegged the value of the worldwide wellness tourism market
at $106 billion three years ago, already more than twice the size of the much
more heavily promoted medical tourism market ($50 billion).
Details on the Congress:
The 2013 Global Wellness Tourism Congress will be an invite-only and
“think-tank-like” forum devoted to jumpstarting further growth for this evolving
tourism category. Leaders directly responsible for promoting wellness tourism in
their nation/region will discuss, and ultimately forge, a set of industry
recommendations on how to best grow consumer participation, and how individual
nations/regions can drive the most media attention at the least cost.
On the Agenda:
- National Case Studies: Case studies from countries across Asia,
Europe, North and South America and the Middle East/Africa will be
presented. Those nations showing the most innovation and success in their
diverse wellness tourism campaigns will share “best ideas” on topics like
attracting investment and promotional support from both the public and
private sectors, and how to best market offerings to domestic and
international tourists. The Congress will then synthesize the numerous ways
that nations, tourism and spa associations and spa/wellness businesses are
most successfully collaborating, with the goal of identifying a more
cohesive global approach.
- “Wellness Tourism Economic Impact Study”: SRI International will
present key findings from the most comprehensive research on wellness
tourism undertaken to date. An invaluable new resource for communicating the
value of wellness tourism to governments and businesses, the report will
provide detailed insight into this rapidly growing market.
- “Wellness Tourism of the Future” Forum: This moderated, collective
“brainstorming” session among assembled governmental leaders that are
responsible for their nation’s tourism strategies and wellness tourism
experts will focus on designing wellness tourism models that could most
powerfully capitalize on this rising travel trend. A discussion of how
wellness tourism is distinct from medical tourism will also be on the
agenda.
“Throughout Asia, Europe and Latin America, the wellness traveler is driving
new paradigms for both healthcare and tourism,” said Josef Woodman, CEO of
Patients Beyond Borders. “We’re seeing rapid change and big opportunities, as
stakeholders seek to capture market share in the evolving wellness tourism
category.”
About the 2013 GSWS: The seventh annual Summit, whose theme is “A Defining
Moment,” will take place at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, in New Delhi, India, voted the
world’s leading luxury hotel by the World Travel Awards for the last two years.
India is a fitting destination for this first-ever Congress, with a government
that has taken a leadership role in promoting wellness tourism, and with rich,
natural “wellness tourism” resources, as the birthplace of Ayurveda and yoga.
For more information, or to register for either the entire Summit or the
one-day Global Wellness Tourism Congress, please visit:
http://www.globalspaandwellnesssummit.org
About the Summit:
The Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) is an annual
event that attracts executives and leaders from around the world with an
interest in the spa and wellness industries. Delegates from diverse sectors,
including the hospitality, tourism, finance, medicine, real estate,
manufacturing, technology, consulting, and product industries, attend this
intimate, invitation-only gathering. The Summit has been responsible for some of
the most important spa industry research, including a breakthrough research
tool, SpaEvidence.com, the world’s first online portal to the medical evidence
for common spa and wellness therapies. The GSWS was honored as “Spa Event of the
Year” for the last four years by AsiaSpa magazine’s awards program.
*Founded as the Stanford Research Institute
