Global Wellness Summit releases its take on the biggest trends shaping wellness in the year ahead
The 10 trends are featured in the organization’s new 120-page Future of Wellness report.
This report claims that major changes are underway in the Wellness market.
Generation, income (and gender) gaps are creating a wellness space increasingly defined by “hardcore” and “soft care”
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) has released its annual report. The future of wellness This report predicts what will make waves in the diverse world of wellness in the year ahead.
The 120-page report’s predictions range from climate-adaptive wellness, which offers new ways to cool communities and homes as climate change takes hold, to the transformative effects of technology-enabled art in the wellness space.
“In the more than 20 years this trends team has been analyzing the wellness space, there have been more major changes in 2023 than in the past 10 years,” said Beth McGroarty, vice president of research and forecasting at GWS. Stated.
“We feel that generational, income (and gender) gaps are increasingly creating wellness spaces defined by very different and perhaps contradictory markets and mindsets.”
The research team calls the first market/idea “hard care,” referring to the newly medicalized, high-tech, and more expensive market. Conversely, the second market is called ‘soft care’ and reflects new demand for less demanding, simpler and cheaper forms of health where emotional and social well-being are paramount. Masu.
“We predict that polarity in the wellness market will become even more pronounced in the future,” McGroarty said.
The report predicts that in 2024, wellness will address serious crises ranging from the threat of climate change to women’s health, and innovation around wellness technology will further accelerate.
10 Wellness Trends for 2024
1. Climate-adapted wellness
As the Earth becomes increasingly thermally destroyed, GWS predicts a new wave of “climate-adaptive wellness” – innovations that can cool our bodies, homes and cities.
The team predicts this will have far-reaching implications for architecture and design, spas, fashion, wearables, beauty, and even wellness travel.
2. The power of pilgrimage
A record number of newly revitalized pilgrimage routes around the world are attracting new generations to experience one of the most ancient forms of slow, spiritual travel.
Sensible resorts now offer wellness programs that incorporate travel between sacred sites, participation in religious services such as meditation and almsgiving with monks, and participation in rituals that can only be reached after years of experience on the path to enlightenment. providing.
3. From staffing to openness
While wellness has long provided a space for women to open up, explore their emotions, and build community, the same can’t be said for men. GWS says a cultural shift is finally underway. From dedicated retreats to apps, social and emotional wellness services are on the rise to help men connect with themselves and each other.
Within this trend, GWS explores how these ‘softer’ forms of health act as much-needed catalysts for male connection. Looking further into the future, the provision of social and emotional wellness for men is expected to become more nuanced, more evenly distributed across all stages of life, and more global.
4. The rise of postpartum wellness
After giving birth (which can cause significant physical and psychological problems), new parents usually find themselves in a caregiving “desert.” Fortunately, GWS says a new era of more comprehensive postnatal care is upon us, pointing us in many directions.
As rates of postnatal depression rise globally, governments and businesses are taking action, while a new app is tackling the mental health of new parents (with a range of treatments and such as Mavida Health, which provides counseling).
While the wellness consumer goods market has exploded with options, from postpartum skin care to supplements, brands are also trying to eliminate the stigma surrounding postpartum sexual wellness.
5. Longevity has longevity.
GWS says the speed with which longevity has swept the biotechnology, health and wellness sectors in the last year is astonishing. The obsession with longevity and health, branded as a new industry pillar, will continue to influence everything from travel to technology to fitness in 2024.
For example, more high-end gyms (such as Melbourne’s Saint Haven) have become full-fledged longevity clinics, offering work-ups (preventive diagnostic tests, scans, etc.) along with workouts. If wellness resorts were once more focused on “soul” than scans and stem cells, more and more resorts are now becoming longevity destinations for advanced medical care.
6. Health check for weight loss drugs
The wellness industry was rocked by the introduction of Big Pharma’s new and highly effective GLP-1 inhibitor weight loss drugs, Ozempic and Mounjaros. They upended traditional behavioral change approaches to weight loss and reframed weight loss as a biological problem rather than a psychological or “willpower” problem.
Going forward, GWS predicts that the wellness world will offer a more integrated, whole-health weight loss approach and create “wellness companion” programs for drug users. The Future: Evidence-based methods to help wean people off these drugs and improve their health, especially during drug use.
7. Sports is rooted in hospitality
After decades of fitness that meant solitary solo sessions at the gym, more and more people are embracing social and empowering sports and want to train like near-elite athletes. The number of people who wish to do so is increasing. Elite athletes also require hospitality that fully supports their health and training. Hospitality facilities are finally responding to the call of “sports” with everything from professional trainers to professional-level facilities.
8. Home as a high-tech health hub
Wellness-focused homes have been a megatrend in recent years, with an emphasis on amenities like meditation rooms and cold plunge pools.
Today, homes and even cities are becoming multifaceted health hubs equipped with cutting-edge technology. This change is unprecedented and involves everything from the rise of medical-grade home health monitoring systems to smart furniture that adjusts to personal health needs in real time. In the post-pandemic era, when people are spending more time at home, home health is taking a bold new direction.
9. New multisensory immersive art for wellness
If experiencing art has always been a passive experience, a new wave of experiences in museums, resorts, and public spaces is leveraging technologies like generative AI and spatial sound to create deeply multisensory, immersive art experiences. Specially designed to transform your life and increase your spirituality. happiness.
Museums, hotels, and spas are increasingly incorporating multisensory art experiences into their offerings, prioritizing wellness as a holistic service. Immersive, multi-sensory art is also becoming incredibly popular in public spaces.
In the future, as the adoption of wearable technology becomes more widespread, GWS says generated artwork will become even more highly personalized, participatory and therapeutic. Adaptive art is here to stay, pushing the boundaries of what it means to be immersed in the senses and wellness as art.
10. Under the Radar
GWS Chairman and CEO Susie Ellis explores the “under the radar” trends that emerged from the recent GWS in Miami.
One key theme is for the wellness industry to redouble its efforts to destigmatize mental health issues and create new solutions, given the rapidly increasing rates of mental ill-health worldwide. was. Legendary gymnast Simone Biles’ keynote address raised this big question.
The need for more mental wellness solutions permeated throughout GWS. Amy MacDonald, CEO of Under a Tree Consultants, aims to help teens around the world struggling with mental health conditions benefit from evidence-based healing treatments. advocated lowering the age limit for wellness centers and spas, and facilities like Qatar’s Zulal Wellness Resort are already addressing the situation.
Another major theme is that governments are adopting more innovative and robust health policies. “Non-GDP” has been debated, and more governments are moving beyond focusing on money to focusing on quality of life as an indicator of people’s happiness.
Keynote speaker Sophie Howe, Wales’ first Future Generations Commissioner, explained the important role that policy must play in protecting the lives and health of people born 50 years from now.
Read the full article for more details and insights. The future of wellness Please report it here.
