The tide is turning on excess, with more and more consumers interested in marking high days and holidays with wellbeing rather than indulgence. The rapid growth of veganuary and dryjanuary are just early indicators of this awakening and we must back this trend
By Liz Terry | Published in Spa Business 2018 issue 1
Health, happiness and vitality are the goals / Alex Emanuel Koch/shutterstock
Celebrating life is a fundamental part of being well and happy. Whatever our culture and wherever we live, our years are measured out by the cadence of high points and festivities.
But although these celebrations bring joy, time with family and friends, time to reboot and reflect and a rest from work, they also – too often – bring ill health and upset.
The reason is clear, we’ve allowed our cycle of festivals to be taken over by the food industry, which commits vast budgets to pushing rich food and drink via endless seductive advertising.
In short, the wellness industry is being completely outgunned in the battle for the consumer at these important times of year and the health impacts are clear to see.
The traditional year-end and new year celebrations are a case in point. For many, they mean sitting indoors overloading the body.
Couple this with a lack of exercise and fresh air and, in some cases vitamin D, and you have a perfect formula for unwellness – the antithesis of everything our industry is aiming to achieve.
As the winter recedes and we head into spring in the northern parts of the world, there’s time to reflect on just how shocking this effect has been through the winter of 2017-18. Flu has wreaked havoc with many people’s health, leaving record numbers hospitalised and post-viral.
Viruses are around all the time. The only thing that changes is our ability to fight them. When we live well, we win, when we live badly, we create a breeding ground for them and they thrive. It’s a matter of survival of the fittest at its most fundamental. It’s us versus them.
So how should we read this? On the one hand, it’s pure proof that bad lifestyle makes you sick and can do so very, very fast – it’s as though a huge, real-time experiment is being conducted on whole societies, with vast sample sizes.
On the other hand, we must champion the alternative – good lifestyle underpins health and we have the knowledge to help people achieve it.
The time is right for new initiatives – it’s no coincidence dryjanuary and veganuary have taken off so fast: people are looking for these solutions.
Let’s start a movement to make all festive seasons times of wellness. Let’s stand our ground against the food industry and make our case. We have it within our remit to make a difference.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2018 issue 1
Promotional feature: Oakworks
Dafne Berlanga, vice president of international business
development of Oakworks, discusses the importance of sustainability
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
The tide is turning on excess, with more and more consumers interested in marking high days and holidays with wellbeing rather than indulgence. The rapid growth of veganuary and dryjanuary are just early indicators of this awakening and we must back this trend
By Liz Terry | Published in Spa Business 2018 issue 1
Health, happiness and vitality are the goals / Alex Emanuel Koch/shutterstock
Celebrating life is a fundamental part of being well and happy. Whatever our culture and wherever we live, our years are measured out by the cadence of high points and festivities.
But although these celebrations bring joy, time with family and friends, time to reboot and reflect and a rest from work, they also – too often – bring ill health and upset.
The reason is clear, we’ve allowed our cycle of festivals to be taken over by the food industry, which commits vast budgets to pushing rich food and drink via endless seductive advertising.
In short, the wellness industry is being completely outgunned in the battle for the consumer at these important times of year and the health impacts are clear to see.
The traditional year-end and new year celebrations are a case in point. For many, they mean sitting indoors overloading the body.
Couple this with a lack of exercise and fresh air and, in some cases vitamin D, and you have a perfect formula for unwellness – the antithesis of everything our industry is aiming to achieve.
As the winter recedes and we head into spring in the northern parts of the world, there’s time to reflect on just how shocking this effect has been through the winter of 2017-18. Flu has wreaked havoc with many people’s health, leaving record numbers hospitalised and post-viral.
Viruses are around all the time. The only thing that changes is our ability to fight them. When we live well, we win, when we live badly, we create a breeding ground for them and they thrive. It’s a matter of survival of the fittest at its most fundamental. It’s us versus them.
So how should we read this? On the one hand, it’s pure proof that bad lifestyle makes you sick and can do so very, very fast – it’s as though a huge, real-time experiment is being conducted on whole societies, with vast sample sizes.
On the other hand, we must champion the alternative – good lifestyle underpins health and we have the knowledge to help people achieve it.
The time is right for new initiatives – it’s no coincidence dryjanuary and veganuary have taken off so fast: people are looking for these solutions.
Let’s start a movement to make all festive seasons times of wellness. Let’s stand our ground against the food industry and make our case. We have it within our remit to make a difference.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2018 issue 1
Promotional feature: Oakworks
Dafne Berlanga, vice president of international business
development of Oakworks, discusses the importance of sustainability
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
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An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
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