A Decade of Wellness Tourism: First-Ever Compilation of 10+ Years of Market Data In 2013, the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) unveiled the Global Wellness Tourism Economy report—a landmark study that defined the parameters and characteristics of the emerging wellness tourism sector and provided, for the first time, market size estimates at the global, regional, and country levels. In that report, GWI first measured wellness tourism…| Global Wellness Institute
For centuries, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has seen beauty not just as something visual, but as a reflection of your overall health, emotional balance, and inner vitality. Where many modern treatments target aging as a skin-deep issue—through injections, lasers or topical products—TCM views aging as a gradual change in the body’s energy systems, its vital essence (called jing), and in the shen, the spirit or… The post Timeless Beauty: What Traditional Chinese Medicine Tells Us ...| Global Wellness Institute
A 2025 study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (on 85,000 predominantly Black and low-income participants) found that just 15 minutes of brisk walking daily were linked with a nearly 20% reduction in mortality. The positive effects of walking have been endlessly documented, but this research revealed that walking quickly delivers health benefits in a very short timeframe. Slow walking for more than three hours daily was… The post Just 15 Minutes of Fast Walking per Day Can Dramatic...| Global Wellness Institute
The Life of Plastic: How Microplastics Contaminate Entire Ecosystems, Including the Food We Eat––The Guardian Microplastics have been found in the placentas of unborn babies, the summit of Everest and the organs of Antarctic penguins. But how do they travel through the world, and what do they do to the creatures that carry them? Since the 1950s, humans have produced in excess of 8.3 billion… The post Must Reads from the Wellness World (August 27th, 2025) appeared first on Global Welln...| Global Wellness Institute
According to the most recent Gallup survey on wellbeing (based on their Life Evaluation Index interviews conducted in 142 countries), more people globally report that they are living better lives, while also becoming more hopeful about the future, significantly more than they have in years. In 2024, a median of 33% of adults across 142 countries rated their lives well enough to be… The post Globally, More People Report Higher Wellbeing. Exceptions: North America, Western Europe, Australia &...| Global Wellness Institute
How Wellness Policies Can Promote Responsible Tourism By Tonia Callender, GWI research fellow Wellness in tourism extends beyond a destination’s wellness businesses and services. It also involves protecting the wellbeing of the tourism workforce and the surrounding communities. As global tourism recovers from the pandemic’s impact, many destinations are feeling the strain of overtourism which threatens residents’ wellbeing, bringing noise, congestion and rising costs, while… The p...| Global Wellness Institute
2025 Wellness Travel Consumer Survey This initiative regularly measures consumer and industry sentiment around wellness travel. Our research provides valuable insight for the sector into the latest consumer intention, behaviors and key motivations for wellness travel experiences and destination selection. We invite you to complete our 2025 Wellbeing Check In Survey – open until September 30, 2025. All responses are anonymized for analysis. WIN! All…| Global Wellness Institute
Wellness Evidence is the first portal designed to help you easily find medical evidence for thousands of authoritative studies that evaluate the benefits of wellness modalities, such as acupuncture, meditation, massage or yoga.| Global Wellness Institute
Definition of Flotation Therapy Research Spotlight The databases often return hundreds of medical studies for a single wellness approach. This section provides a sampling of studies – providing just a taste of the available research. A Systematic Review of Flotation-Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST)A comprehensive systematic review in 2025, of 63 studies with approximately 1,800 participants, published in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, found flotation…| Global Wellness Institute
MENTAL WELLNESS What Is Mental Wellness?Five Key Things to Know About Mental Wellness 1. Mental wellness is more than just the absence of mental illness. The complex relationship between mental illness and mental wellness is best understood by envisioning them sitting on two separate continuums (see figure below). The horizontal axis measures mental illness from high to low, while the vertical axis measures mental wellness…| Global Wellness Institute
The Global Wellness Institute is a nonprofit organization with a mission to empower wellness worldwide by educating public and private sectors about preventative health and wellness.| Global Wellness Institute
Our Global Wellness Institute Breathe Initiative Member, Patrick McKeown – Breathing Instructor and Best Selling Author/Founder of Oxygen Advantage is bringing the power of BREATH to the Tour de France 2025. Patrick spoke at the Science & Cycling conference to an audience of 250 cycling professionals—coaches, scientists, riders, and support teams. Via Oxygen Advantage: For the first time, the cycling world is truly paying attention…| Global Wellness Institute
LEADING WELLNESS ECONOMY RESEARCH from the Global Wellness Institute The Global Wellness Institute initiates, analyzes, and trumpets authoritative wellness industry research. We believe that accurate and in-depth research and data on the wellness economy—and its 11 sectors—are the foundation of the Institute’s goal to empower wellness worldwide. Explore All Wellness Economy Reports Reports by Topic/Sector Reports by Date Reports by Region Featured Research Reports …| Global Wellness Institute
2024 Global Wellness Economy Monitor The 2024 Global Wellness Economy Monitor reveals that the wellness economy has reached a new peak of $6.3 trillion in 2023 and is projected to grow to nearly $9.0 trillion by 2028. This report is packed with data capturing the growth and trends in the global wellness economy and its 11 sectors from 2019-2023, with 5-year projections through 2028.…| Global Wellness Institute
Inside a Mother’s Life-Changing Wellness Journey Presented by Global Wellness Institute. This content was produced for BodyHoliday by BBC StoryWorks as part of the In Pursuit of Wellness series presented by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). Can a carefully designed retreat disrupt lifelong habits – and reset our minds? BodyHoliday transcends the beautiful surroundings – every person there is committed to changing lives for the better.…| Global Wellness Institute
Dear Friends and Colleagues, Having just finished reading the entire Build Well to Live Well: The Future research report, I feel compelled to say a few words about it. First, my congratulations and thanks to the entire Global Wellness Institute (GWI) research team and especially Ophelia Yeung and Katherine Johnston. They have spent the past 18 months putting together a report that is sure…| Global Wellness Institute
Celebrating the essence of home-grown African wellness retreats, our first edition pays tribute to these handpicked hidden gems.| Global Wellness Institute
With the support of exclusive Country Partners, GWI is releasing detailed wellness sector data for individual countries for the first time.| Global Wellness Institute
Wellness Economy Statistics & Facts The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) is recognized as the leading source for authoritative wellness industry research. Since 2007, the GWI has commissioned and published numerous research reports on the global wellness economy, including our flagship publication, the Global Wellness Economy Monitor. All reports are available free to the public. Data highlights from recent studies are below. To download all GWI…| Global Wellness Institute
WHAT IS WELLNESS? Wellness is a modern word with ancient roots. The key tenets of wellness as both preventive and holistic can be traced back to ancient civilizations from the East (India, China) to the West (Greece, Rome). In 19th-century Europe and the United States, a variety of intellectual, religious and medical movements developed in parallel with conventional medicine. With their focus on holistic and…| Global Wellness Institute
