Spa & Wellness MexiCaribe 54, Summer 2024

WELLNESS REAL ESTATE: MARKET GROWTH
(2019-2023) AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The prestigious event, held once again at JP Morgan
Chase headquarters in New York, started with a visual
art display from Louie Schwarzberg, images of nature
projected onto buildings and structures worldwide,
including the Sphere in Las Vegas, in celebration of Earth
Day.
New research shows that the wellness real estate market
is now valued at 438 billion USD worldwide, and is
expected to be close to 1 trillion USD by 2028. From 2019
to 2022, wellness real estate was the fastest-growing
sector, at 21.8%. The Latin America and Caribbean
sector reached 1.2 billion USD in 2023.
SIERRA A MAR: A VISION OF PROTECTION AND RESTORATION
OF ECOSYSTEMS, BIODIVERSITY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Richard Gere, Actor, Advocate & Humanitarian
Amy McDonald, CEO, Under a Tree Consulting
Richard talked about his upbringing and his ancestors growing up
as ‘boys on the farm’. He has always felt close to nature, “We are all
living creatures breathing the same air and inhabiting the same earth.”
Richard feels a sense of responsibility and humility, as a very small part
of something incredibly vast.
With mountains, leading to sand dunes, estuaries, lagoons, and the
ocean, XALA, situated south of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, includes over 3.1
miles (5 km) of untouched coastline and incredible beauty. Richard met
the local people, such as fishermen and farmers, and incorporated them
into the project. He discovered that when you talk to the grandmothers
of the communities, they can tell you what the community needs most.
Often, it is activities for the children to take part in after school.
Development, to Richard, means reaching out and connecting - to the
land, and to the people, creating joy. “A magic energy starts to emerge
from people and ideas.” XALA embodies ‘from ridge to reef’, as the
development spans from the ridges of the mountains, out into the oceans.
LONGEVITY FOR REAL!
Susie Ellis, Chair & CEO, Global Wellness Institute,
Global Wellness Summit
Deborah Szekely, Co-Founder, Rancho La Puerta
Deborah, having recently celebrated her 102nd birthday, asked the
audience, “Who actively practices wellness?” She was evidently
impressed with the response in the room!
Rancho La Puerta was started in 1940, the ranch takes only 125 guests at
a time, keeping the experience intimate where guests really get to know
each other. Continuing a repeating theme, Deborah spoke of magic;
“People bring magic, or take magic away, you have to be open to magic
when it comes along.”
www.spawellnessmexico.com 15
aribe