Wellness tourism growing at phenomenal pace

The WTM Wellness Tourism program, organized by Spafinder Wellness 365 and in association with the Global Wellness Tourism Congress, takes place across three days of World Travel Market 2014 – Tuesday, November 4 to Thursday, November 6 – with some of the leading executives and experts from the sector sharing their experience and insights.

The Wellness Tourism sector is growing at a phenomenal pace of 9% annually, compared to the travel and tourism industry’s 6%, and World Travel Market 2014 is launching its first comprehensive program to support the fast-growing Wellness Tourism sector.

The first session on Tuesday, November 4, will explore what Wellness Tourism is and why it is growing faster than the wider travel and tourism industry. The session will include findings form the latest research in the sector.

The second session on Wednesday, November 5, looks to define both Medical Tourism and Wellness Tourism, which are often confused. It will look at the opportunities in both sectors and how they can work together.

The third session on Thursday, November 6, will look at how national and regional governments as well as private sector businesses have successfully integrated wellness tourism into their marketing campaigns.

Spafinder Wellness 365 Managing Director John Bevan said: “I am excited by this opportunity to increase the exposure of the Wellness Tourism industry to the wider global travel industry at WTM.

“The sector offers a wide range of opportunities for the travel and tourism industry to benefit from and World Travel Market – with more than 50,000 senior industry executives in attendance agreeing more than £2 billion in business deals – is the perfect platform to help grow the sector further.”

World Travel Market Head of Marketing and Communications Micaela Juarez said: “World Travel Market 2013 events program saw a record attendance of more than 16,000.

“The introduction of a Wellness Tourism program came from the findings of our post-event research, which showed participants would like more information on this fast-growing sector.

“I’m delighted to be able to announce Spafinder as our partner for this program, which will bring together some of the sector’s most senior executives and latest research and trends.

“The program will bring a new audience to World Travel Market, while also offering existing participants vital information to help grow their businesses.”

Speakers for the program will be announced throughout the year.