2014 GSWS to be held in Morocco
The eighth annual Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) will be held at the Four Seasons Resort Marrakech in Morocco on September 10-12, it was announced today.
While the agenda has yet to be confirmed, the programme for the 2014 summit will include the second Global Wellness Tourism Congress (GWTC). The GWTC was first held as part of the seventh annual summit in Delhi, India in October last year.
Susie Ellis, chairman and chief executive of the GSWS said of the choice of location for this year's event: “Morocco has a rich history as a wellbeing destination with an age-old tradition of beauty, relaxation and body care and is a splendid setting for the 2014 summit.”
The summit will be sponsored and co-hosted by the Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development (SMIT).
Imad Barrakad, chief executive of SMIT, explained that “Business, health and wellness are among the six programmes of the Moroccan Strategic Vision for Tourism Development 2020. Holding the 2014 GSWS in Marrakech is an opportunity for Morocco to introduce the richness and potential of the country for spa and wellness.”
Morocco is predicted to be one of the world’s 10 fastest growing wellness tourism destinations in the next three years, with a projected 14.7% annual growth through to 2017- 60% faster than the global average.
The forecast was made in the first Global Wellness Tourism Economy report, compiled by research firm SRI International on behalf of the GSWS and presented at last year’s summit in India.
