• How Wellness Policies Can Promote Responsible Tourism
• Gallup: Globally, More People Report Higher Wellbeing. Exceptions: North America, Western Europe, Australia & New Zealand
• New GWI Report, Built Well to Live Well: Case Studies, Coming Next Month
• Just 15 Minutes of Fast Walking Per Day Can Dramatically Improve Longevity
• Must-Reads from the Wellness World: From the alarming mental health problems that plague kids that got phones before age 13 to the wellness policies fueling Singapore’s extraordinary jump in longevity
• GWI Research Fellows Present New Global Wellness Economy Data at the Global Wellness Summit in Dubai

How Wellness Policies Can Promote Responsible Tourism

By Tonia Callender, GWI research fellow  

Wellness in tourism extends beyond a destination’s wellness businesses and services.  It also involves protecting the wellbeing of the tourism workforce and the surrounding communities. As global tourism recovers from the pandemic’s impact, many destinations are feeling the strain of overtourism which threatens residents’ wellbeing. Across the world, communities--from Mexico to Germany, Spain and Italy--are protesting the large influx of visitors. Recently, Japan’s government created a national organization to address overtourism and to safeguard its residents and historic sites. How can wellness policies cultivate and protect regional assets for the long-term benefit of all? GWI researchers highlight some key responsible and sustainable tourism strategies.
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Gallup: Globally, More People Report Higher Wellbeing. Exceptions: North America, Western Europe, Australia & New Zealand

By Thierry Malleret, economist

Gallup’s new “life evaluation” survey across 142 countries had good news: more people globally report they’re living better lives (33% are “thriving”)––and more are hopeful about the future than they have been in years. Big subjective wellbeing gains were seen in Latin America, Eastern and Southern Europe, and East and Southeast Asia.  

But wealthy “Western” countries and regions, including the US, Western Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, were a striking exception, reporting sharp declines in wellbeing. For example, in 2007 in the US, 67% of people reported they were thriving, but that fell to 49% in 2024. Switzerland saw a 22% drop in “thriving” people. Why are the rich “Western” countries now experiencing the greatest declines in wellbeing? Why is the dissociation between economic wealth and societal wellbeing one of today’s major conundrums? Like the fertility freefall, no single theory can explain it. Economists, sociologists, psychologists and moralists all argue different things.  

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New GWI Report, Built Well to Live Well: Case Studies, Coming Next Month

Within the $548 billion wellness real estate industry there are endless variations that meet the wellness needs of its residents. The GWI’s upcoming report Built Well to Live Well: Case Studies will showcase thirteen properties across the U.S. and the U.K. to illustrate how – with intention and thoughtful planning – wellness can be embedded in projects of any size, at any price point, for any type of occupants. The report will be released on September 25 at the Women in Residential Construction conference (Austin, TX) by GWI researchers Ophelia Yeung and Katherine Johnston. 

Wellness Evidence

GWI’s website (www.wellnessevidence.com) is the only resource dedicated to the medical evidence for wellness approaches.

Just 15 Minutes of Fast Walking Per Day Can Dramatically Improve Longevity

A new study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (on 85,000 predominantly Black and low-income participants) found that just 15 minutes of brisk walking daily were linked with a nearly 20% reduction in mortality. The positive effects of walking have been endlessly documented, but this research revealed that walking quickly delivers health benefits in a very short timeframe. Slow walking for more than three hours daily was associated with only a 4% reduction in mortality. Fast walking reduced premature death from all causes but was particularly effective at reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease.

ACCESS THIS STUDY on exercise.

Must-Reads from The Wellness World

The Life of Plastic: How Microplastics Contaminate Entire Ecosystems, Including the Food We Eat
–The Guardian

A New Study Just Found Something Alarming About Kids Who Get Phones Early in Life
–Futurism.com

Pumping Iron Is Their Secret to Aging Well
–The New York Times

The World's Sixth 'Blue Zone': Why Singapore Values Both Quantity and Quality of Life
– BBC

A STRIKING STAT:

Americans now spend more on healthcare than housing or food––with 90% of health spending going to treating chronic conditions.  

Source: The New York Times analysis of Bureau of Economic Analysis data via Fitt Insider