Resource News

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http://www.khaleejtimes.com/lifestyle/health-fitness/uae-spa-tourism-likely-to-double-by-2017-report

UAE spa tourism likely to double by 2017: ReportThe UAE is leading spa tourism in the Middle East and North Africa, with visitor numbers set to double by 2017, the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has reported.

GWI identified the Mena region as the second fastest-growing market in the world for spas, behind Sub-Saharan Africa, with the UAE set to add just under one million trips from 2012-17. A report published by Euromonitor International for The Leisure Show Dubai 2015 also revealed that the UAE spa market is booming, with revenues of $411 million forecast for 2015.

Susie Ellis, chairman and CEO of GWI, said: "The Global Wellness Institute estimates that the top spa growth powerhouse, more than doubling wellness-focused trips from 2012-2017, will be the UAE, with 993,352 trips added and 17.9 per cent annual growth."

Other growth markets include Morocco, set to add 825,703 visits and with 14.7 per cent annual growth, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria, also set to see double-digit annual wellness tourism growth to 2017. GWI attributes the luxury day spa, hotel spa and spa resort "explosion" in the GCC countries as a major factor behind the region's spa market boom. Euromonitor forecast spa revenues in the UAE will reach $495 million by 2019.

"GWI identify Dubai as the leading growth market in the GCC countries. The Dubai hospitality market is unique in that it is over-saturated with luxury 5-Star resorts and is home to the only 7-Star hotel in the world," said Christine Davidson, group event director of the dmg events hospitality portfolio including The Leisure Show and The Hotel Show.

"Within these properties a unique range of extravagant spa treatments have emerged including Dubai's most luxurious offering, a 24-carat-gold facial, available at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray. Dubai's world-class hotel spas and day spas target the growing number of international tourists, the fast-growing local luxury segment and its growing expat community, which is one of the largest in the world," she added. "So it's quite appropriate that this year world-class pool and spa suppliers will be in Dubai for the second annual The Leisure Show and the Middle East Pool and Spa Awards 2015 in September."

- rohma@khaleejtimes.com

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Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/87j95b/spa_industry_overv) has announced the addition of the "Spa Industry Overview, Dubai, United Arab Emirates" report to their offering.Market Overview- Spas are primarily seen as a place to relax and manage stress and for beauty treatments- Dubai is gaining popularity as a spa town, attracting spa clients from across the worldEconomic Environment- Stable government with business friendly policies- Dubai benefiting from the Arab Spring as its reputation of a safe haven has grown and this has led to a diversion of investments to it and a growing no. of tourists- Proportion of working women on the rise - leading to growing demand for beauty servicesKey Trends and Challenges- Increased interest in grooming and beauty treatments, supported by high disposable incomes- The population of Dubai follows a fast-paced lifestyle, which in turn gives rise to stress, health concerns and lifestyle diseases - leading people to spas for relief- There are many players with similar experiences - challenge for players to differentiate themselves- There is a shortage of skilled laborCompetition- Dubai had 60 spas in 2009 which is expected to have grown to 100 spas in 2011- Resort spas usually achieve the highest amount of revenue per spa compared to hotel spas and day spas- However, day spas are becoming increasingly popularKey Topics Covered:IntroductionExternal Analysis - PEDSIndustry AnalysisSpa IndustryUAE Spa Market - High Growth OpportunityDubai - Location of ChoiceJumeirah Spa LandscapeCompetitive LandscapeRegulationKey Success FactorsPorter's Five ForcesConclusionFor more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/87j95b/spa_industry_overv

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http://www.globalwellnessinstitute.org/global-wellness-institute-blog/2015/5/12/the-uae-israel-and-morocco-will-be-the-middle-eastnorth-africa-mena-growth-leaders-with-each-of-nation-adding-nearly-1-million-wellness-trips-from-2012-2017

SPA LOCATIONS HAVE NEARLY TRIPLED IN THE MENA REGION FROM 2007-2013

In conjunction with early May’s Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, the GWI unveiled new data* on the expansion underway in more stable countries in the $7.3 billion annual Middle East/North Africa wellness tourism market. If MENA is now the world’s second fastest growing wellness travel market in pure percentage terms (trailing only Sub-Saharan Africa, with its smaller base), this new research reveals which ten nations will be the region’s growth leaders through 2017. 

The GWI calculated this top ten ranking by combining total wellness trips added, and annual percentage growth, from 2012-2017. For several countries in the region, there is, of course, serious political instability/violence, which impacted nations included. For instance, Egypt was not included in 2012-2017 projections, as recent tourism disruptions are revising growth figures. And while the unrest in certain countries may now be having a ripple effect on regional tourism, the overall story for MENA wellness tourism across 2012-2017 is one of growth.  

And the top three growth powerhouses, each essentially doubling wellness trips from 2012-2017, are: #1 UAE (993,352 trips added, 17.9% annual growth), #2 Israel (847,872 trips added, 18.6% annual growth) and #3 Morocco (825,703 trips added, 14.7% annual growth). But regional growth will be widespread: other nations - from Jordan, to Saudi Arabia, to Algeria - will also see double-digit annual wellness tourism growth, and double their total wellness trips, from 2012 to 2017. 

NEW REPORT: The GWI also just released the Middle East-North Africa Spa

& Wellness Economy Report, rounding up the organization’s research on the region’s wellness tourism, spa and hot springs markets, with detailed data on more nations and segment leaders. Access this new report   here .

Anni Hood, the GWI’s director of wellness tourism noted, ”For many Middle East/North Africa nations, wellness tourism is growing twice as fast each year as tourism overall – and their wellness-focused trips will double in five short years.”

“So many forces are driving this growth. The region’s luxury/spa resort boom (especially in GCC countries) and the revitalization of indigenous practices (like hammams and baths) that appeal to the authentic-experience-craving modern traveler are driving inbound trips. And wellness travel within the region is being spurred by rising incomes, which have also meant a serious rise in unhealthy lifestyles and chronic disease, so more people are seeking healthy travel.” 

THE MENA SPA BOOM: Spa tourism is a crucial segment of wellness tourism, representing 47% of the global market. And the Middle East/North African spa industry is experiencing amazing growth: the number of spas

nearly tripled from 2007-2013: from 1,014 to 3,889. And spa revenues grew 134% in that period, to $1.7 billion USD.

HELP WANTED: And if roughly 57,000 people were employed in the MENA spa industry in 2013, the projected need in 2018 will more than triple, to over 175,000 workers needed. Countries with the largest spa growth from 2007-2013 include Morocco, the United Arab Emirates (especially Dubai), Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Read the press release to learn more.

*A special GWI data compilation with SRI International, grounded in the 2013 “Global Wellness Tourism

Economy” and the 2014 “Global Spa & Wellness Economy Monitor” reports - with 2012-2017 overall tourism

projections from Euromonitor Int’l.

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http://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/middle-east-north-africa-is-fastest-growing-wellness-tourism-market-in-world-at-16-annually

Middle East/North Africa Is Fastest Growing Wellness Tourism Market in World, at 16% Annually

New Global Wellness Tourism Congress research: Middle East/North Africa market to more than triple by 2017; Sub-Saharan Africa will see strong 12.6%

growth; UAE #1 growth leader across entire region 

New York, NY–May 6, 2014–The Global Wellness Tourism Congress (GWTC), a division of the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), today released new data on the Middle East and African wellness tourism markets at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) being held in Dubai. The research, undertaken by SRI International for the GWTC, reveals that although the region is currently the smallest global wellness travel market, it will be the world growth leader through 2017. 

The report analyzed the Middle East/North African and Sub-Saharan African markets separately, and found that the former ranks #1 in the world for wellness tourism growth (16.2% annually), expanding the market from $5.3 billion USD in 2012 to $16.6 billion USD in 2017. And Sub-Saharan Africa will also see an impressive 12.6% annual growth, driving that market from $2 billion USD in 2012 to $5.07 billion by 2017. South Africa is the current pan-regional leader in terms of both trips and expenditures. And the UAE will grow faster than any Middle

East/African nation from 2012-2017: adding one million trips–and with a 17.9% annual growth rate that ranks sixth in the world.  

Wellness tourism is defined as “all travel associated with enhancing one’s personal well-being,” and this newly-released data comes from the GWTC’s “Global Wellness Tourism Economy” report, the first research to analyze the $439 billion worldwide wellness tourism market that is growing roughly 50% faster than the tourism sector overall.

Anni Hood, tourism & government liaison for the GWTC, presents the findings at ATM on May 7, and noted, “Wellness-focused travel is growing fast across this vast, diverse region: in the Middle East/North Africa we have the luxury/spa hotel building boom across GCC nations, and the revitalization of indigenous practices, such as historic hammams and baths. And Africa is tourism’s next frontier: from the rise of healthy adventure/safari tourism in South Africa and Kenya–to continued growth for spa/wellness resorts on destination islands like Mauritius or the Seychelles–to just-emerging East African destinations like Ghana or Senegal. These many different ‘stories’ add up to one, big story: the fastest growing wellness tourism market in the world.”

KEY FINDINGS

To view the complete breakdown for the top 12 Middle East/African nations for wellness travel, click here.

Expenditures: The Middle East/North African wellness tourism market (domestic and international combined) is worth $5.3 billion USD annually. Sub-Saharan Africa market expenditures total $2 billion USD each year–for a combined $7.3 billion USD Middle East/African market.

Trips: The Middle East/North African region drives 4.8 million wellness-focused trips (inbound and domestic) annually, while Sub-Saharan Africa generates 2.2 million–for a combined regional total of 7 million trips.

Top Five Current Country Leaders   (annual trips/expenditures in USD):

1. South Africa: 1.5 mil/$1.5 bil2. UAE: 800,000/$1.4 bil3. Israel: 600,000/$1 bil4. Morocco: 800,000/$800 mil5. Egypt: 900,000/$700 mil

South Africa, with its well-established spa, wellness and hot springs destinations and robust domestic wellness travel, is the current regional spend leader. But the UAE, with its huge, recent tourism investments, that increasingly attract wealthy Asian, American, European and intra-GCC travelers, ranks #2–and is gaining.

Middle East/North Africa–The Global Growth Leader (Annual Growth Rate, 2012-2017)

Middle East/North Africa: 16.2%Latin America: 13.4%Asia Pacific: 13.4%Sub-Saharan Africa: 12.6%North America: 8%Europe 7.3%

The top four fastest-growing nations in the region listed below (based on a combination of annual growth rate and trips added) also rank among the top 30 nations GLOBALLY for projected wellness tourism growth through 2017.

Fastest-Growing Middle East/Africa Wellness Tourism Countries (Trips Added/Annual Growth Rate, 2012-2017)

1) UAE: 1 mil/17.9%2) South Africa: 1 mil/10.5%3) Israel: 800,000/18.6%4) Morocco: 800,000/14.7%

And Israel, the UAE and Morocco all rank in the top ten in the world for “pure percentage” growth in wellness travel through 2017, ranking #5, #6 and #10, respectively.

Inbound Wellness Tourism Crucial :  Worldwide, domestic wellness tourism is dramatically larger than its international equivalent, representing 84% of trips and 68% of expenditures. But for the Middle East/Africa, the reverse is true: no global region’s wellness travel market is as dependent on inbound tourists. In the Middle East/North Africa, international tourists make up 63% of trips and 75% of expenditures. In Sub-Saharan Africa, inbound tourists comprise 60% of trips, and an overwhelming 94% of expenditures.

Top Five Inbound Country Leaders: (number of wellness-focused arrivals annually)

1. South Africa: 665,9002. UAE: 603,6003. Egypt: 593,4004. Morocco: 464,2005. Tunisia: 354,500

Impact on Economy & Jobs: Wellness tourism is directly responsible for 200,000 jobs in the Middle East/North Africa, and 100,000 in Sub-Saharan Africa. And this booming travel segment has an estimated wider impact of $13.4 billion USD on the former’s regional economy, and a $6 billion USD impact on the latter’s.

To access the European and Latin American wellness travel market press releases, visit:http://www.globalspaandwellnesssummit.org/press-room

For more info on the “Global Wellness Tourism Economy” report, contact Beth McGoarty: beth@rbicom.com or (+1) 213-300-0107. Qualified media may request a copy.

About the Global Wellness Tourism Congress: The Global Wellness Tourism Congress (GWTC) falls under the umbrella of the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), a world authority and think-tank for wellness-related industries. The Congress brings together public and private stakeholders to chart the course of the rapidly growing wellness travel sector. Attendees include government ministers of tourism, health and economic development; CEOs of private companies; and leaders and visionaries from the tourism and medical tourism worlds that engage in open dialogue to map the future of wellness tourism. The next Congress will be held on September 10, 2014 at the Four Seasons Resort in Marrakech, Morocco. 

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Global Wellness Institute Commissioned Research ReportsMiddle East & Africa Research SPECIFIC

- PFA pdf by ernest_young and pwc_doha_spa

6.For global reports for all regions Visit - http://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/industry-resource