Phuket to host Global Wellness Summit in November 2026

Thailand will host the 20th anniversary Global Wellness Summit (GWS) at Angsana Laguna Phuket in November 2026, in a move intended to strengthen the country’s position as an international wellness hub.

The three-day summit will bring together senior executives from wellness companies, doctors, academics, investors, technology innovators and policymakers. Discussions will focus on anti-ageing medicine, longevity, women’s health, precision medicine and the future of wellness tourism.

The event’s theme is “The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness”. Organisers said it would examine how medical science and technology are combining with traditional knowledge and the emotional, spiritual and creative dimensions of wellbeing.

Suzie Ellis, chair and chief executive of the Global Wellness Summit, said the industry was reaching a turning point as technology and medical advances intersected with changing human values. She said Thailand had been selected because it combines traditional knowledge with ambitions to become a global destination for medical wellness and preventive healthcare.

The Global Wellness Institute is scheduled to release its annual global wellness economy report at the summit. The supplied figures show that Asia’s wellness tourism sector grew 31% in 2024 to US$215 billion, making the region the largest by number of wellness tourism trips ahead of Europe.

Four of the five countries with the fastest annual growth were in Asia: India at 57%, Thailand and South Korea at 36% each, and China at 35%, according to the figures cited for the report.