Global Wellness Institute

06/04/2026

A powerful insight from the Global Wellness Institute’s Monthly Brief: Chronic disease is no longer just an older generation issue.

Nearly half of new colorectal cancer cases are now in people under 65, 1 in 5 heart attacks affects someone under 40, and rates of high blood pressure and obesity are climbing fastest among younger adults.

Prevention can't wait. 💙

06/02/2026

🌍 Summer travel season is here—and so is the challenge of overtourism.

Overtourism impacts more than crowded destinations. It can diminish the traveler experience, strain local communities, increase housing costs, damage ecosystems and put the long-term sustainability of wellness destinations at risk.
As wellness tourism continues to grow, destinations will need to invest in protecting local environments, cultures and communities—or risk losing the very qualities that make them attractive.

One country taking a proactive approach is Japan. While aiming to grow tourism through 2030, Japan is implementing innovative solutions including dynamic pricing, visitor caps, AI-powered crowd management and incentives that encourage travelers to explore beyond the most popular hotspots.

Could Japan’s strategy help break the overtourism cycle and create a more sustainable future for travel?

✍️ This perspective was written by Thierry Malleret:
https://hubs.li/Q04jNZYN0

Overtourism Hurts Wellbeing, Even Impacting Wellness Destinations. We Need to Think Like Japan By Thierry Malleret, economist A WELLNESS CRISIS TO ADDRESS: OVERTOURISM AND RESILIENCE Overtourism undermines wellness in multiple ways : 1) it affects our individual wellbeing (crowding, noise, “place ...

05/28/2026

The future of cooling in thermal wellness is not just colder—it’s smarter.

Join the GWI Hydrothermal Initiative on June 17 at 11AM ET for Beyond the Heat: Cooling as a Core Component of Thermal Wellness, a timely conversation on the evolution of cold therapy, contrast bathing and more accessible cooling experiences.

Register today: https://hubs.li/Q04jfJ3l0

Beyond the Heat: Cooling as a Core Component of Thermal Wellness June 17, 2026, 11AM-12PM ET | Webinar Hosted by GWI Hydrothermal Initiative | REGISTER TODAY A growing recalibration is taking place around cold therapy and contrast bathing. After years of emphasis on extreme cold plunges and ever-low...

05/27/2026

What’s next for workplace wellbeing?

The Global Wellness Institute’s Workplace Wellbeing Initiative, led by Chair Jessica Grossmeier and Vice Chair Ellenit Serrano, has launched Future of Workplace Wellbeing Live, a new 2026 LinkedIn Live series presented by Propel.

Across seven interactive sessions, experts will explore the key trends shaping the future of workplace wellbeing—and share practical, evidence-based strategies to help leaders respond to today’s evolving workplace challenges.

Follow the Initiative on LinkedIn for session alerts, live Q&As and upcoming discussions.

Learn more: https://hubs.li/Q04j44NK0

The Workplace Wellbeing Initiative of the Global Wellness Institute is launching a new LinkedIn Live series for 2026: Future of Workplace Wellbeing Live, in partnership with Propel. The series will examine seven key trends within the landscape of workplace wellbeing and practical, evidence-based str...

05/20/2026

In honor of Africa Day, a special webinar on May 25 from 11a-12pm GMT will explore Africa’s emerging and essential role in shaping the future of global longevity. Moderated by Michelle Saudan, Co-Chair of the Africa Wellness Initiative and founder of Amanzi Wellbeing, the discussion brings together leading voices across longevity science, medicine, Indigenous knowledge systems and African cultural preservation. Speakers include Osinakachi Akuma Kalu, founder and board chair of Afrolongevity; Ricardo Catumbela, MD, medical director at Optima Performance; and Dalian Adofo, co-founder of Ancestral Voices. Together, they will examine how African wisdom traditions, community-centered living and advances in genetic research are contributing to a more inclusive and culturally grounded vision of longevity and wellbeing worldwide.

Learn more: https://hubs.li/Q04hnLn20

05/19/2026

The wellness real estate market is reshaping global development. New data from the Global Wellness Institute shows the sector has reached $876 billion in 2025 and is projected to hit $1.8 trillion by 2030—making it the fastest-growing segment of the wellness economy.

Alongside the data, GWI also released Build Well to Live Well: Case Studies, Volume 2, highlighting groundbreaking wellness real estate projects across Saudi Arabia and the UAE that are redefining the future of healthy, sustainable communities.

Download this report and more: https://hubs.li/Q04h91l40

WellnessRealEstate

05/13/2026

What if conferences and business events actually helped people feel healthier, more energized, and more connected?

In this episode of StarrCast, Lisa Starr sits down with Reina Herschdorfer, Director of Sales and Marketing for Caesars Entertainment, and David T. Stevens, Founder of Olympian Meetings, who both serve as Co-Chairs of the Global Wellness Institute Meetings and Events Initiative.

Together they explore the growing movement toward wellness-centered meetings and events. Recorded live at the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) quarterly meeting in Las Vegas, this conversation examines how the hospitality and meetings industry can move beyond packed schedules and transactional networking to create experiences that support human connection, nervous system regulation, engagement, and long-term wellbeing.

Tune in for the full episode 👉https://bit.ly/4tuwumQ

Caesars Entertainment Meetings and Events

05/13/2026

Wellness real estate is being reimagined at extraordinary scale.

Build Well To Live Well Case Studies, Volume 2 highlights some of the most ambitious and impactful wellness real estate developments across Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi — based on recent site visits by researchers from the Global Wellness Institute.

The report explores how large-scale projects are integrating human health with sustainability, inclusivity, accessibility, economic development, and cultural relevance — offering a powerful look at where the future of wellness communities is headed.

Download the report today.
https://hubs.li/Q04gpndq0

05/12/2026

The future of real estate is being built around wellness.

Today, the Global Wellness Institute unveiled new data showing the global wellness real estate market has reached $876 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $1.8 trillion by 2030—making it the fastest-growing sector in the wellness economy.

Alongside the data release, GWI also premiered Build Well to Live Well: Case Studies, Volume 2, spotlighting ambitious wellness real estate developments across Saudi Arabia and the UAE that are redefining what human-centered, wellness-driven communities can look like at scale.

From sustainability and longevity to placemaking and design innovation, this report offers a powerful look at where the built environment is headed next.

Download the report. https://hubs.li/Q04gjCpK0

05/08/2026

What does wellness real estate look like at its most ambitious scale?

At the 5th Annual Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium on May 12 in NYC, Global Wellness Institute Senior Research Fellows Katherine Johnston and Ophelia Yeung will unveil Build Well to Live Well Case Studies, Volume 2: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

Drawing from recent research visits across the Saudi Arabia Red Sea Coast, Riyadh, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, the report explores groundbreaking projects redefining how wellness can be integrated into the built environment through sustainability, accessibility, inclusivity, cultural relevance, and economic development.

Attendees will hear directly from the researchers behind the report and gain firsthand insight into the future of wellness communities in one of the world’s fastest-evolving regions.

The Symposium will also feature an in-depth assessment of more than 75 properties featured in Susie Ellis’s Global Glimpse, evaluated through the GWI Wellness Communities & Real Estate Initiative’s six-pillar framework for wellness real estate.

Very limited seating remains.

https://hubs.li/Q04f_dJm0