Wellness vision
With the wellness industry rapidly expanding as the wellbeing concept takes root around the world, the market is continually seeing the opening of new retreats and resorts, each with their own interpretation of what it means to offer wellness solutions. Data from non-profit research organisation SRI International’s Global Wellness Tourism Economy report, presented at the Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS ) in India last month, revealed that wellness tourism, representing just one component of the international wellness market, is now worth US$439billion (£273bn) – a figure expected to rise to S$679bn (£423bn) by 2017.
While this means there is ever increasing potential for those offering wellbeing services to tap into, it also means the market is quickly becoming highly competitive, as a growing number of operators recognise the opportunities inherent within it. With consumers simultaneously becoming more savvy and demanding, the bar has been raised for what is required to stand out and make a mark in the wellness sector. This is, however, not something that should unduly concern Veer Singh, the owner and founder of wellness resort Vana, Malsi Estate – a titanium sponsor of this year’s GSWS – which opens in India’s northern Uttarakhand region on January 4 next year.
With the imminent opening of the 8.5 hectare (21 acre), 90-room, Vana, Malsi Estate, work on two further Vana resorts set to begin in the next two years and a total of at least five Vana properties planned within a decade, Singh – whose family owns the multi-business Max India group – is confident in his wellness vision. “I want to create one of the most authentic and sincere wellness offerings in the world and to do it in the best way possible,” he explains of the Vana concept. “I want it to become an icon for wellness. I’m less concerned about it being the biggest, the most luxurious or the most expensive, but I want it to become a reference point for wellness.”
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