25-27 Jun 2022
Las Vegas Convention Center,
Las Vegas,
United States
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25-27 Jun 2022
Las Vegas Convention Center,
Las Vegas,
United States
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27-28 Jun 2022
St. Martins Spa & Lodge,
Frauenkirchen,
Austria
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12-13 Sep 2022
Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs® Resort,
Lake Buena Vista,
United States
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12-14 Sep 2022
Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort ,
Ballymena,
Ireland
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20-23 Sep 2022
Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort,
Quarteira,
Portugal
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25-26 Sep 2022
Bespoke,
San Francisco,
United States
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26-28 Sep 2022
Gwel an Mor,
United Kingdom
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Authenticity is key for ‘Trailblazers of Wellness Tourism’ |
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By Jane Kitchen 10 Nov 2015 |
The panel included, from left: Podlogar, Ixmeier, Renfors, Arabiyat and moderator Dan Pearce, managing director of TTG Media
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Representatives from Slovenia, Finland, Jordan and the Healing Hotels of the World consortium gathered at World Travel Market in London last week for a panel entitled “Trailblazers of Wellness Tourism,” sponsored by the Global Wellness Institute.
Eva Stravs Podlogar, head of the Directorate for Tourism and Internationalisation in Slovenia, said that her country has a strong tradition of wellness travel, with an association of spas formed 50 years ago.
Today, Slovenia’s Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Zdravko Po?ivalšek, previously worked for Terme Olimia, one of the country’s most famous spa resorts.
“We are so lucky to have a minister who understands tourism in general and spas in particular,” said Podlogar.
Liisa Renfors, tourism product specialist for Finland, said while her country doesn’t have the long history of spa culture that Slovenia has, “It is coming.”
Finland has been developing wellbeing themes since 2005, said Renfors, and is shaping its wellness tourism message around the idea of nature.
The Nordic country is spending more money this year promoting the message abroad and is focusing on four points: Finnish sauna tradition; pure, natural water, silence and health from the forest; Finnish traditional healing; and healthy, organic, locally grown Finnish food.
In Jordan, Dr. Abed Arabiyat, acting managing director of Jordan Tourism Board, said his small country offers a diversity of experience, including the Dead Sea – “the largest natural spa in the world.”
Arabiyat said he is focusing on Jordan’s spiritual atmosphere as well as organic, Jordanian food, and is pushing a big campaign in the UK, Germany and France.
“We have the product, and we have the experiences, and we’re trying to sell the authentic experience,” he said.
Podlogar agreed that authenticity is key to a successful wellness experience.
“It’s about feeling the country where you are,” she said. In Slovenia, she added, “People want to be active, but they also want to spend half a day reading and relaxing in the healing waters.”
Renfors said authentic Finnish wellness experiences often involve traditional lakefront cottages with rowboats and saunas, and that many of these experiences are catered to families.
Elisabeth Ixmeier, co-founder of Healing Hotels of the World, said the best healing hotels are the ones where the owners are passionate about what they’re doing.
“In a very short time, you get a new level of happiness,” she said. “Customers don’t mind where (the hotel) is – they want the experience.”
The Healing Hotels of the World consortium features properties in 46 countries, and Izmeier said it focuses on holistic health.
“Health has a lot to do with the mind,” she said. “(People) seek a purpose in their lives, because life has become so empty. To come back to yourself again – to feel yourself again and to find purpose – it’s the same passion in every country.”
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News |
1 to 12 of 8160 news stories |
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24 Jun 2022
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) has kicked off the sixth season of its wellness podcast which has recently been renamed Global Wellness Conversations (GWC). First recorded at the 2019 GWS in Singapore, GWC has grown ... More
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23 Jun 2022
A new report by Deloitte, outlining the social and economic value of the global health and fitness industry, has been released by The Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA), in collaboration with IHRSA. The 418-page ... More
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23 Jun 2022
Industry veteran Jacqueline Berry has been appointed group director of spa and wellbeing at Miraval. She will oversee the company's Life in Balance spas at Miraval Arizona, Miraval Austin and Miraval Berkshires. Berry was previously ... More
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23 Jun 2022
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts is continuing its strategic global growth plan and will open its first property in Venice, Italy, in 2025. Rosewood announced it has been selected to manage the Hotel Bauer in Venice, ... More
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22 Jun 2022
A new spa and wellness retreat has launched at The Fontanelle Estate in Tuscany, a countryside property nestled among the rolling hills and vineyards of Italy’s Chianti wine region. Completed with the help of Lahra ... More
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21 Jun 2022
The winners of the 13th annual Good Spa Guide Awards were announced last night (20 June) at industry conference Spa Life UK taking place this year in the Cotswolds. The awards celebrate the best in ... More
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16 Jun 2022
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (MOHG) has signed a long term management agreement with Attestor Limited to rebrand and manage Hotel Cristallo in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Currently operated by Marriott International within its Luxury Collection, the ... More
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16 Jun 2022
Newly-formed industry body The Great Spa Towns of Europe association has appointed Stefan Szirucsek as its new board chair. As of July 2021, The Great Spa Towns of Europe was established as a UNESCO World ... More
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15 Jun 2022
On 24 June 2022, skincare specialist and therapist trainer Jennifer Young will launch a new training course called Hormonal Wellness Touch Therapies. The new qualification is designed to enable spa therapists to help guests address ... More
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13 Jun 2022
Hotels with wellness revenues exceeding US$1m generated 126 per cent more in total revenue per available room (TRevPAR) in 2021 than those with wellness revenues of less than US$1m, according to the latest Wellness Real ... More
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10 Jun 2022
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the 14th annual HOTel&SPA event returned last week, bringing together top hospitality and spa executives from across Europe and beyond for a day of talks and networking. ... More
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09 Jun 2022
Global lifestyle brand Nobu Hospitality, founded by Robert De Niro, Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper, has announced plans to open its fifth Spanish destination in Madrid. Centrally positioned in the heart of the Spanish capital’s ... More
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Lemi Group |
Lemi Group designs and produces treatment tables, chairs and multi-functional furniture and
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