With the rise of the middle class and evolving attitudes toward health and wellbeing, the 2013 global spa and wellness industry has expanded its worth to an estimated amount of $3.4 trillion, says a report.
Non-profit research center SRI International, the agency that compiled the report, has found that the largest growing sectors in this industry are nutrition and weight loss, complementary and alternative medicine, beauty and anti-aging treatments, and preventive and personalized health.
According to Ophelia Yeung, SRI International senior consultant and the lead researcher, more people all over the world are becoming conscious of healthy food, looking to nature, exercise getting massages, and practicing yoga. This can be witnessed in any part of the world, from Asia to Africa to North America to Europe.
Yeung adds that a few years ago, people regarded spa treatments and products, alternative and complementary treatments, and weight-loss programs as luxuries beyond their means. Nowadays, these are becoming more enmeshed into the mainstream, what with the growth of the middle class.
Instead of simply getting medical care to treat disease and illness, people are also giving greater importance to wellness, as it focuses on prevention. Healthy habits, exercise and treatments, and nutritional eating help stave off all kinds of health problems, and more and more people globally are becoming aware of this.
The report showed that in 2013, Europe had the highest revenue in the spa and wellness industry, amounting to $29.8 billion. The continent also boasts more than 32,000 spas. Next was the Asia-Pacific region with $18.8 billion, followed by North America with $18.3 billion in revenue.
In the Middle East and Africa, markets are continuously emerging, with more spas being built. In Asia, India and China are leading; in Europe, Russia, Eastern Europe and the Baltic states are leading in raking in the revenue.
The report done by SRI was commissioned by the annual Global Spa and Wellness Summit, which was attended by over 400 wellness industry leaders from 45 countries in 2014.
