Europe is well represented, with hotels and spas from Portugal, Turkey, Corfu, Germany, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia and Spain. Another exhibitor is Lifehouse Spa and Hotel, in Essex – located about an hour from ExCeL in London, where WTM takes place each year – while further afield, there are exhibitors from Malaysia and St Lucia.
The inaugural WTM Wellness Lounge at World Travel Market London 2015 – the leading global event for the travel industry – has proved to be a hit with exhibitors from Iceland to India.
Taking place on 4-5 November, WTM Wellness Lounge has already sold all of its allotted exhibition space – more than three months in advance.
Among the 25 exhibitors are Blue Lagoon – one of Iceland’s most famous attractions and well known for its geothermal seawater – and India’s award-winning Somatheeram Ayurveda Group.
The lounge has attracted 20 brand new exhibitors to WTM London, keen to raise their profile on a global stage. These include Anand Collection, which represents upmarket properties and resorts; the Hotels Plaza Andorra chain; Healing Hotels of the World, which represents properties across the globe; and the five-star boutique Fortress Resort and Spa in Sri Lanka.
Europe is well represented, with hotels and spas from Portugal, Turkey, Corfu, Germany, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia and Spain. Another exhibitor is Lifehouse Spa and Hotel, in Essex – located about an hour from ExCeL in London, where WTM takes place each year – while further afield, there are exhibitors from Malaysia and St Lucia.
World Travel Market London, Senior Director, Simon Press said: “The success of our new Wellness Lounge reflects the rapid growth of the wellness industry generally.
“The global wellness market is now valued at $3.4 trillion* and is growing fast, as more people want to improve their physical and mental wellbeing during their leisure time.
“Seeing our Wellness Lounge sell out quickly demonstrates how the wellness industry is eager to have a high-profile platform provided by WTM to negotiate and conclude deals.”
John Bevan, Chief Operating Officer of Spafinder Wellness, Inc. said: “We knew there was a great demand for a Wellness Lounge because our conference programme during WTM 2014 was very well attended.
“It is gratifying to see the wellness and travel industries working together, to help both markets to do business.”
The new wellness hub offers suppliers an exclusive platform to meet contacts and conduct business in the comfort of the dedicated lounge.
The package for suppliers includes private pods within the lounge; a networking breakfast with wellness buyers; priority access to WTM Speed Networking sessions; and an online networking tool to connect with the wider WTM audience.
Other benefits include an invitation to the Wellness Travel Awards Reception on 4 November; exposure to the WTM Buyer database through a dedicated email profiling all Wellness Lounge suppliers; promotion in the WTM Catalogue, WTM Routeplanner and online Exhibitor Directory; and access to 250 spa/wellness buyer contacts from the WTM visitor database.
World Travel Market London 2015 takes place on 2-5 November at ExCeL London.
*Global Spa & Wellness Economy Monitor 2014
Photo caption: Blue Lagoon, Iceland.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
