Global Wellness Summit to explore surge in water-wellness experiences

June 5, 2024

Karen Sweaney

The Global Wellness Summit, being held in St. Andrews, Scotland from 4th to 7th November, has announced the theme for the 2024 conference as 'A Watershed Moment for Wellness'.

The Summit will specifically explore the surge in water-wellness experiences, analysing everything from the powerful renaissance in water-based therapies (and how emerging hydrothermal approaches and technologies could revolutionise wellness in the future) to a new breed of bathing, sauna, hot springs, cold immersion and wild swimming experiences.

The agenda, at a macro level, will explore how the wellness industry is at a watershed moment for growth and evolution, gathering global experts to analyse the newest directions within each sector– whether fitness, mental wellness, wellness tourism, healthy food and weight loss, wellness real estate, well-tech, beauty, wellness policy, and more.

The Summit will also bring sustainability experts together to show how the industry needs to change, from boosting the wellness industry’s role in the “blue economy” (the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth and preserving endangered ocean ecosystems) to embracing the ethics of water (how clean water is a basic human right, now denied to 2.2 billion people) to adopting new technologies and practices that could transform the industry’s water use efficiency.

The Summit will focus on Climate Change, the Water Crisis, and the Wellness Industry: Climate change is severely threatening the world’s most precious resource, water. The wellness and spa industries are voracious consumers of water, while wellness tourism often creates other negative environmental impacts that threaten marine/water ecosystems and can hurt local coastal communities. The agenda will bring sustainability experts together to show how the industry needs to change, from boosting the wellness industry’s role in the “blue economy” (the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth and preserving endangered ocean ecosystems) to embracing the ethics of water (how clean water is a basic human right, now denied to 2.2 billion people) to adopting new technologies and practices that could transform the industry’s water use efficiency.

A Watershed Industry Moment, for Growth, for Disruption: The wider agenda will explore the historic momentum for the industry. Global Wellness Institute researchers find that the wellness economy was worth $5.6 trillion in 2022 and forecast that it will rise to $8.5 trillion by 2027. They will unveil a complete update of the Global Wellness Economy Monitor in Scotland, with new data and insights on each wellness sector.

Susie Ellis, GWS chair and Chief Executive notes “This is a watershed moment for wellness. In our 2024 trends report, we note that we’ve seen more industry disruptions in the last year than in the last decade–whether the rapid rise of medical-wellness and longevity concepts or Big Pharma rewriting weight loss.

“With fast-shifting consumer demands, fast-evolving technology, demographic shifts (including a profoundly aging population), accelerating climate change and demands that businesses take environmental action, this year’s agenda will investigate how our industry will continue to see further radical transformation.”

Registration is open.

First-time delegates can apply to attend here.

About the author

Karen Sweaney

Co-founder and Editor, Australasian Leisure Management

Artist, geoscientist and specialist writer on the leisure industry, Karen Sweaney is Editor and co-founder of Australasian Leisure Management.

Based in Sydney, Australia, her specific areas of interest include the arts, entertainment, the environment, fitness, tourism and wellness.

She has degrees in Fine Arts from the University of Sydney and Geological Oceanography from UNSW.

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