European wellness, is it just spa? Jana Stara, Jun 23, 2014 Is there a difference between American and European wellness? Just as wellness changes from one person to another, it changes one country from another. The quickest way to find what wellness in Europe is about is just to google it. Let´s have a look at the search results and I will tell you more. The very first search result brings us to the website of the National Geographic Traveller introducing 50 Top Wellness Destinations: Europe. Nice, this might be a good clue to what wellness on the old continent is about. Well… It might be, as much as I might be honored that the very first destination is my homeland with its hilarious spa resort in Karlovy Vary. Let me tell you why I am not. If you had a closer look on the mentioned destinations, you would find out that it is mostly spa hotels and resorts. If I can judge from the first one, Parkhotel Richmond in Karlovy Vary Czech Republic, European wellness than would be a place, where you receive the best care, premium services and traditional healing procedures. Only limited attention (if any) is paid to an individual responsibility, his everyday life or culture. It is rather passive consuming of offered services than purposeful search of better me. European Wellness therefore might be marked rather as Wellness tourism. The definition of this term from Mueller and Kaufmann (2001): “Wellness tourism is the sum of all the relationships and phenomena resulting from a journey and residence by people whose main motive is to preserve or promote their health. They stay in a specialized hotel which provides the appropriate professional knowhow and individual care. They require a comprehensive service package comprising physical fitness/beauty care, healthy nutrition/diet, relaxation/meditation and mental activity/education.“ The spa industry has recently adopted the concept of wellness into its philosophy, but it will take some time until the principles of real wellness come through the historical tradition of spa in Europe. The Global Spa & Wellness Summit in its report Spas and the Global Wellness Market: Synergies and Opportunities from May 2010 therefore recommends following: Recommendations for Moving the Spa Industry Forward Develop a harmonized understanding of wellness terminology and concepts in relation to the spa industry, to reduce consumer confusion. Promote and support ongoing conversations on wellness in the spa industry (and with other wellness sectors) to keep abreast of a rapidly growing and changing wellness market. Build a body of evidence-based consumer research that connects spa to wellness. Facilitate and publicize evidence-based/scientific research on wellness approaches. Support new industry research to raise awareness of and attract investment in wellness opportunities. Connect with wellness-related public sector tourism and public health organizations to leverage their resources. Teach spa therapists to understand and promote wellness. Educate spa management on wellness concepts and business savvy. If you want to see the whole 100 pages long report, follow this link [PDF] and let me know in the comments what do you think about European wellness.