2019 Global Wellness Trends

Posted by Jools Barsky on Feb. 1, 2019, 4:47 a.m.



Each year, the Global Wellness Summit (GWS) identifies new trends that will have a meaningful impact on the $4.2 trillion wellness industry. Significantly, this is the only wellness forecast that draws from the insights of the 600+ executives who were delegates and presenters at the 2018 Global Wellness Summit. In addition, the GWS Trends incorporate the perspectives of renowned economists, medical and wellness professionals, academics and leaders across all sectors of the wellness industry.

Each of the eight trends speaks to topics that push the health and wellness envelope in unprecedented ways. We predict that these very new directions in wellness will grow worldwide and become big business in the years ahead.

This year, we take a close look at what the medical profession is prescribing—and while you might think that would be complicated to understand, it’s actually a walk in the park. With overtourism to the same old places being the #1 issue facing the travel industry today—unwell for both locals and tourists—will wellness tourism be an antidote, pulling people to less trafficked, healthier destinations? Will “choosing undertourism” become the new eco-tourism and ethical consumer wave? (So the Mona Lisa can keep smiling.) Get ready to have a new respect for your nose and what your olfactory sense can do in conjunction with your brain, such as take you back to happier times. Say goodbye forever to one-size-fits-all diets and hello to personalized nutrition—your DNA will lead the way and help you find the foods that work for you.

It’s time to rethink fashion, not only personally but also societally. From the supply chain to the chain stores, what we wear and what it means is taking on (and off) a life of its own. And speaking of a life of its own, we are looking at China—it’s extraordinary growth and wealth and what that means for wellness in the world. We’ve gone deep into the depths and looked at how dying is finally becoming part of the wellness conversation and how everything around death is suddenly getting rethought: from what a healthy end-of-life looks like to a surge in eco-friendly and creative burial options. But, whatever you do, don’t stress: There are going to be so many more options for meditation than ever before, and hard science will confirm the benefits of different types for different goals...

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