Spa and wellness tourism has grown 58% in the last six years with more than 100,000 spas now available worldwide.
New research released by the Global Spa & Wellness Summit with SRI International has found the sector grown from US$60 billion in 2007 to US$94 billion where there has been a 47% rise in spa locations to 105, 591.
Wellness tourism has developed further reaching US$494 billion in revenues, up 12.5% year-on-year.
New properties and growing travelling markets in Asia, Middle East, Afirca and Latin America are driving the demand particularly as the global middle class develops.
Europe is the leading region for the spa industry generating US$29.8 billion (up 62%), followed by Asia Pacific at US$18.8bn (+65%) and North America US$18.3bn (+35%).
“It has been six long years since our first spa industry research report, and to see nearly 60% growth across years marked by global financial collapse was as impressive as it was unexpected. Also exceeding our expectations: the growth in the wellness tourism market last year and the sheer scope of the thermal/mineral springs industry,” said Ophelia Yeung, senior consultant, Center for Science, Technology & Economic Development at SRI.
“And key economic and demographic trends, we predict, will continue to fuel growth for these three segments, including the rise of the global middle class (at two billion people now, but expected to skyrocket to five billion by 2030); ongoing, phenomenal momentum for tourism, generally; millions more people each year proactively seeking a ‘wellness lifestyle’; and the story of developing markets, and so many new properties, across Asia, Middle East/Africa and Latin America,” she added.
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