2017: LUXURY WELLNESS AND MEDICAL TOURISM

A new business that will lead 2017 trends

According to the “World Tourism Barometer”,destinations around the world welcomed 956 million international tourists between January and September 2016 and more than a billion during the whole year: a 4% increase.

But another great business in full growth is aftercare wellness, so “Global Wellness Summit” has identified eight trends for 2017 in wellness and aftercaremarket:

-Health sauna

-Wellness architecture

-Sound Insulation

-Cultural initiatives and artistic design

-Mental wellness

-Wellness treatments  to deliver comfort to cancer sufferers

-Affrordable  pricis to offer health and wellness also to the less well-off

According to these trends,an increasing number of medical tourists during this year will be looking, not only for medical treatment, but also for luxury and wellness facilities to rest andrecover during aftercare.

Most wantedlocations will be, among the others, the new luxury private clinics or spas, built with sustainable architecture approach with buildings that produce their own energy or eco hotels withsaunas floating on lakesor exclusive locations like ancient monasteries like Italy’s “Eremito”, with no WiFi or phone and silent, candlelit dinners.

In thisscenario,the idea to develop a chain of luxuryhotels which will offer every comfort is taking form in theMiddleEast along with other projects like spasspecialized in delivering treatments and dignity to cancerpatients or tocare depression and anxiety.

Health Tourism is a rapidly evolving business, especially in the upper segment, and the offer starts to specialize and differentiate to create a real luxury integrated offer.