Global Spa & Wellness Summit 2013 to be held in India

India will host the seventh edition of the annual Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) for the first time. It will be held in Gurgaon Oct 5-7.

"The GSWS is a major force behind innovative and healthy growth in the wellness industry, and we think that India, with its ancient history of wellness, is the perfect location for global leaders to gather," Minister of State for Tourism K. Chiranjeevi said in a statement.

The growing importance of wellness and wellness tourism worldwide is one of the topics which will be discussed at the summit.

"The government of India has taken a leadership role by identifying wellness and wellness tourism as important contributors to the nation's economy," said Susie Ellis, chairman and CEO of the GSWS.

She considers India is an apt destination to explore the roots of spa and wellness.

"As the birthplace of yoga, meditation, and ayurveda, India is an ideal location to explore the historic roots of spa and wellness, as well as examine new global markets and revenue opportunities," added Ellis.

In conjuction with the summit, the inaugural Global Wellness Tourism Congress, a congress dedicated to wellness tourism, will also be held.

It will be held on the first day of the GSWS. The agenda will include presentation of case studies illustrating unique, successful national wellness tourism campaigns and critical findings from research institutes.

The First Global Destination Spa Forum for "destination spas" will also take place the same day. Leaders from the 1,500-plus destination spas worldwide have been invited to plan how to solve challenges and capitalise on their future opportunities.

"In many ways, destination spas are the heartbeat of the industry. Creating health transformations is their very DNA," said Ellis.