NEW YORK — At last week’s Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) in Marrakesh, Morocco, the organization’s independent, non-profit research partner, SRI International, released top findings from the most comprehensive data yet on the global wellness market.

This included refreshed data on the spa and wellness tourism markets, and the first research to size and analyze the global thermal/mineral springs segment.

Key takeaways:

• The spa industry grew 58% from 2007-2013: from US$60 billion to $94 billion, with a 47% growth in spa locations, to reach 105,591 spas
• The thermal/mineral springs industry is a $50 billion market, spanning 26,847 properties
• Wellness tourism expanded to $494 billion in revenues, rising 12.5% from 2012-2013 –significantly outpacing SRI’s original growth forecast of 9%.

“It has been six long years since our first spa industry research report, and to see nearly 60% growth across years marked by global financial collapse was as impressive as it was unexpected. Also exceeding our expectations: the growth in the wellness tourism market last year and the sheer scope of the thermal/mineral springs industry,” said Ophelia Yeung, senior consultant, Center for Science, Technology & Economic Development, SRI.

“And key economic and demographic trends, we predict, will continue to fuel growth for these three segments, including the rise of the global middle class (at two billion people now, but expected to skyrocket to five billion by 2030); ongoing, phenomenal momentum for tourism, generally; millions more people each year proactively seeking a ‘wellness lifestyle’; and the story of developing markets, and so many new properties, across Asia, Middle East/Africa and Latin America.”