Global Wellness Summit predictions

The Global Wellness Summit has released a report on the top wellness trends for 2019 and beyond. It says that no country will have a bigger impact on the future global wellness economy than China.

The key trends identified were:

Well fashion

2019 will be the pivotal year for change, with a huge wave of sustainable, ethical, intelligent, healing, more inclusive and meaningful fashion wear. This includes the next-generation of smart, connected and healing clothes that actively boost wellbeing. New technologies mean that fitness wearables will move seamlessly into clothing while self-regulating fabrics will adapt to all kinds of environmental and bodily changes (heat, cold, air flow, movement, UV rays, etc.). We will see antibacterial clothes that clean themselves, collagen-infused clothes that moisturize your body all day, clothes that broadcast your mood, pyjamas that help you sleep, even clothes weaving in ancient wellness, such as lines suffused with Ayurvedic medicinal plants.

Wellness takes on “over tourism”

With the growth in wealth worldwide, international travel continues to increase. The problem is that this tourism expansion is hyper-concentrated. Wellness tourism will be one key antidote. Not only are the majority of wellness resorts in nature (off the crowded, beaten path) but a growing number of national tourism boards are launching initiatives to combat over tourism and reduce seasonality by developing new wellness destinations.

Meditation goes plural

Meditation will evolve from a singular to a plural practice, from a generic concept to understanding specific types and their unique brain impacts. Mindful fitness brands are predicted to grow, where you move with intention or where workouts work in meditation sessions, just as mindful spa experiences will get more creative. More mindful apps and new drop-in meditation studios and wellness centres/clubs will become one-stop shops with full meditation menus.

Prescribing nature

A growing number of doctors are medicalising nature because of the medical evidence for its benefits. Beyond formal nature prescriptions, this trend also spans a ‘back to nature’ shift across the wellness world, from the rise of green exercise (in-nature workouts) offered at more fitness studios, to the growth in forest bathing programmes at wellness travel destinations.

Fragrance gets a wellness makeover

The sense of smell is having a wellness renaissance. Evidence-based studies around scent’s powerful impact on our physical and emotional wellbeing are being released.

China uncovers the wealth of wellness

No country will have a bigger impact on the future global wellness economy than China. China is undergoing a wellness and beauty revolution. Chinese tourists will rewrite the wellness travel market by embracing authentic cultural and wellness experiences. China is the fastest-growing wellness tourism market, jumping to third globally. It is being driven by the growth in women’s spending power and more Chinese now seeking their authentic roots and a spiritual purpose in life.

Nutrition gets personal

Enter the age of personalised nutrition where science, low-cost medical testing and new technologies identify what foods are right just for us, not only for weight management but to boost overall health and wellbeing. New devices, such as Lumen, which uses your CO2 to measure how you’re burning fuel and suggests which foods you should eat, are now available to help you understand exactly which nutrients your body needs. AI-powered apps, such as Pinto and Calorie Mama, let you know what exact nutrients and calories are sitting on the plate in front of you.

Dying well

Wellness practitioners that fill that gap in care between medicine and hospice, and who are dedicated to delivering better, more meaningful and peaceful deaths, are gaining serious traction around the world.