Ingo Schweder, founder and CEO of GOCO Hospitality, will be joined by wellness professionals for a 90-minute discussion about the future of wellness in Koh Samui and the rest of Thailand on Monday, 29 September at W Koh Samui.

Organised by hospitality consultancy group C9 Hotelworks, the session is called “Koh Samui Wellness Tourism – Beyond the Spa” and will be divided into different discussion topics, led by specialists in those areas of the wellness industry.

Schweder, who is also managing director of Horwath HTL Health and Wellness, will speak about the latest trends in the industry – such as biohacking and conscious travel – and how Koh Samui can capitalise on them to become a leading global wellness destination.

He said, “Koh Samui is no longer just a tropical escape; it is fast becoming a global hub for integrative wellness. The conversation will go beyond trends; we will be talking about systems, sustainability and what it truly means to create transformational destinations in today’s world.”

Immersive wellness resorts and their increase in popularity will be discussed by a panel of speakers involved in local yoga, spa and holistic sanctuaries. The speakers include the chief financial officer of Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary; Matthew Brennan, corporate general manager of The Lamai Samui Resort, Pierre Lang; and founder and owner of Vikasa Yoga, Kosta Miachin. Melia Hotels International’s head of development for Thailand, Laos and Cambodia – Jeremy O’Sullivan – will moderate the discussion.

The impact and potential of genomic medical and wellness tourism in Thailand will be highlighted by Dr Thiti (Time) Samuthrat, CPO at Bangkok Hospital Network. He is also the deputy secretary general of the Thai Medical and Tourism Association and director of Genolife Services by Bangkok Hospital Phuket.

Sharing their experiences of promoting wellness and the untapped opportunities in sports tourism across the country – which already hosts multiple gobal sports teams and their academies – will be Phimlanya Cheunpanichayakul, an account director for Delivering Asia, and Marcelo Fonesca, director of marketing and business development for the Maraleina Group.

How to refresh wellness facilities and spas to incorporate design features that enhance wellbeing will be the subject of a presentation by Santant (Ae) Onthong, chief executive officer of Interior Architecture 103.

Jesper Strom, Technogym’s regional manager for Southern Thailand will explain to attendees how and why AI is changing gyms and how operators in the country need to do to level up their fitness offerings.

Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks, said “Koh Samui is fast becoming a global wellness destination – and the market’s just heating up. Join us for insight, trends and bold forecasts.”

Event details

The event is part of an ongoing initiative called the C9 Sessions, delivered by C9 Hotelworks in collaboration with Delivering Asia, W Koh Samui and SKAL International Koh Samui. The sessions are designed to educate industry professionals, inspire innovation and promote entrepreneurial thinking.

C9 Hotelworks says the session is suitable for professionals in the hotel and medical tourism industries, sales and marketing specialists, spa and fitness operators, villa rental managers and other wellness businesses.

The session is free but advanced registration is required. Get your complimentary ticket here. Attendees are welcome from 3.00pm and the session runs between 4.00pm and 5:30pm.