The Global Wellness Summit™ (GWS), the foremost gathering of leaders in the global wellness economy, will celebrate its milestone 20th anniversary at Angsana Laguna Phuket, Thailand, from November 10–13 under the theme, “The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.”

Centered on the question, “Why Asia, Why Now?”, this year’s Summit will explore both the extraordinary growth of Asia’s wellness economy and the region’s increasing influence on the future direction of global wellness. Following one of the pandemic’s longest and most challenging recovery periods, Asia-Pacific’s wellness market has reached $2 trillion for the first time. With annual growth of 9.3% in 2024, the region is tied with Europe as the fastest-growing wellness market in the world.

CEOs of wellness companies, physicians, academics, technology leaders and policymakers will examine why Asia has become a critical lens through which to understand the future of wellness. As countries across the region confront some of the world’s lowest fertility rates and fastest-aging populations, Asia is becoming a living laboratory for innovative approaches to extending healthspan and supporting healthier aging populations.

While much of the recent Western longevity conversation has focused on extending lifespan through advanced technologies and personalized interventions, Asia’s emphasis is increasingly on maintaining healthier aging populations as an economic and societal imperative. The conference will explore innovations underway across the region, from government policy initiatives to next-generation wellness destinations.

Asia is also emerging as a leader in longevity through a distinctly integrative approach. Its millennia-old, prevention-focused traditional medical systems—including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda—helped shape the modern wellness movement by bringing meditation, yoga, plant-based medicine, spirituality and nature-based healing to global audiences. The conference will explore how Asia is advancing longevity through clinics and resorts that combine cutting-edge diagnostics and longevity science with traditional healing modalities, creating a new medical-wellness paradigm.

The Summit will focus on Asia’s wellness tourism, beauty, traditional medicine, wellness real estate, architecture, design and public policy sectors. Experts will share lessons from South Korea’s remarkable K-Beauty boom, where approximately one million people travel annually for aesthetic services and where beauty products have become an export market worth more than $11 billion.

Hospitality leaders will examine how Asian brands are shaping the future of wellness travel through deeper commitments to social connection, sustainability, creativity and cultural engagement. With neuroaesthetics and the impact of art on wellbeing among the year’s most discussed topics, Asia’s design leadership will also be highlighted, from architecture-for-wellness philosophies to Thailand’s evolving textile traditions.

“Asia is the primary growth engine for the future of travel, luxury and wellness because of the unmatched expansion of its middle class and wealth creation, infrastructure investments, economic resilience, scale and rapid technological advancement,” said Cathy Feliciano-Chon, co-chair of the 2026 Summit and managing partner at FINN Partners Greater China. “It also faces significant challenges, including declining fertility rates and rapidly aging populations—issues that intersect directly with the future of wellness, prevention and longevity. Asia sits at the nexus of both these opportunities and challenges.”

Asia’s Standout Wellness Markets and Growth Leaders

According to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), Asia was among the slowest-growing wellness regions between 2021 and 2023 due to the pandemic’s prolonged impact. It is now experiencing a strong recovery, expanding by 9.3% in 2024 to reach a $2 trillion market—74% larger than before the pandemic.

Wellness Tourism

Asia’s wellness tourism market reached $215 billion in 2024, making it the world’s largest recent growth story. The sector expanded by 31% in a single year and surpassed Europe in total wellness trips. Four of the five fastest-growing wellness tourism markets are in Asia: India (57%), Thailand (36%), South Korea (36%) and China (35%).

Asian hospitality pioneers—including Kamalaya and Chiva-Som in Thailand, Ananda in the Himalayas in India, COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali and The Farm at San Benito in the Philippines—have helped shape modern wellness travel for decades.

Traditional and Complementary Medicine

GWI projects traditional and complementary medicine to be the second-fastest-growing wellness sector through 2029, expanding by 11% annually. Asia is by far the largest market, valued at $379 billion, representing approximately 63% of global spending.

Traditional medical systems across Asia are being reimagined for modern audiences, from growing interest among younger generations in China to the use of artificial intelligence by Chinese universities to optimize TCM applications. Rising global interest became evident this year as wellness practices inspired by TCM attracted tens of millions of views across social media platforms.

Healthy Eating, Nutrition and Weight Loss

Asia remains the world’s largest market in healthy eating, nutrition and weight management at $347 billion and was also the fastest-growing major regional market in 2024, expanding by 7.7%.

Wellness Real Estate

Asia has become the world’s largest wellness real estate market at $350 billion, recording annual growth of 26% between 2019 and 2025. Seven of the world’s top twenty wellness real estate markets are located in Asia, including China (#2 globally at $218 billion), Australia (#4 at $38 billion), Japan (#6 at $34 billion) and India (#11 at $20.5 billion).

Spas

Asia is the world’s second-largest spa market after Europe, generating $42.5 billion in revenue. Following the region’s lengthy pandemic recovery, spa revenues increased by 54.7% in 2023 and a further 17.3% in 2024. Vietnam leads recent growth at 15.6%, followed by India (8.1%), China (7.6%) and Indonesia (7.5%).

Thermal and Mineral Springs

Asia is the world’s largest thermal and mineral springs market at $38 billion and is home to 22,611 establishments—more than three times the number found in Europe. China’s market is valued at $21.4 billion and Japan’s at $13.6 billion.

Social bathing traditions—from Korea’s jjimjilbangs to Japan’s onsens—remain foundational wellness experiences across the region and are increasingly influencing wellness concepts worldwide.

Asia: A Living Laboratory for Healthy Longevity

Across Asia—including Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore and increasingly India—fertility rates are falling while populations age at unprecedented speed. By 2050, more than one in four Asians will be aged 60 or older.

As a result, healthy longevity has become an economic necessity. Rising healthcare costs, shrinking workforces and demographic transformation are prompting governments and businesses alike to rethink aging and prevention.

This year’s Summit will explore how Asian nations are developing new approaches to supporting longer, healthier and more productive lives. Examples include China’s “Healthy China 2030” strategy, which places prevention at the center of health policy, and Singapore’s innovative longevity initiatives that promote physical activity, healthier eating and intergenerational support systems.

Asia’s Integrative Approach to Longevity

While many Western discussions around longevity have focused on advanced clinical interventions, Asian wellness destinations increasingly combine scientific innovation with holistic wellness traditions.

Examples include tulåh in Kerala, India, where Ayurveda, yoga, Vedanta, Tibetan medicine and TCM are integrated with advanced diagnostics and regenerative medicine; RAKxa Integrative Wellness in Bangkok, which combines preventive medicine with Thai healing traditions; and Tri Vananda in Phuket, where functional and integrative medicine intersect with cognitive health and mindfulness.

Thailand’s Transformation into a Wellness and Longevity Hub

Thailand’s wellness traditions run deep, from traditional Thai medicine and massage to its food-as-medicine culture. Today, the country is expanding its role beyond medical tourism and positioning itself as a global destination for wellness and longevity.

Recent initiatives include the national wellness tourism campaign “Healing Journey Thailand” and a broad public-private collaboration designed to establish the country as an integrated ecosystem for wellness, health and longevity tourism.

BDMS Wellness Clinic, one of Thailand’s leading preventive healthcare providers, is playing a central role in this transformation and recently announced BDMS Silver Wellness & Residences, a major Bangkok development combining advanced medical facilities, longevity services and residential living.

“Thailand is the perfect host for a conference that will explore both wellness’s deepest historical roots and its increasingly medical and technology-driven future,” said Susie Ellis, chair and CEO of the Global Wellness Summit. “Across Thailand and throughout Asia, there is a unique combination of foundational wisdom and innovation in wellness, preventive health and longevity. We want delegates to experience the future of Asia because it is helping shape the future of wellness.”

Registration for the Summit is open. Apply here.