THIS YEAR’S Global Spa Summit is taking place in Bali – the first Asian venue for the annual meeting of the world’s top decision-makers for spa-related industries – from May 16 to 19.
The summit, with the theme, Engage the Change. The Customer. The Money. The Future, aims to advance the spa and wellness industry in the world. Two hundred ninety-six delegates from 28 countries are at this year’s event.
Spa Finder CEO and Spa Global Summit founding board member, Pete Ellis, said: “We have to come to Asia because Asia is the heartbeat of spa. In Asia, spa is a century-old heritage. To the rest of the world spa is a relatively new industry.”
Mandara Spa Indonesia COO and Global Spa Summit co-founder, Jeff Mathews, said that the modern version of spa actually started in Bali around 1995 to 1996. “It was based on traditional methods, but the new type of scrubs, like papaya, have since been introduced. Today, spa is a US$260-billion business,” he said.
