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PARTNERSHIP | Summer 2019 20 | FROM THE CHAMBERS F or the past few years, wellness tourism has been growing more than 6.5% annually, “more than twice as fast as global international tourism overall”, as indicated by the Global Wellness Institute. This is very good news for Scotland, known for its stunning landscape and natural environment. It is not surprising therefore that more and more people are choosing this destination for health retreats to escape from their stressful everyday routine and recharge their batteries, enjoying a relaxed holiday surrounded by majestic mountains and crystal-clear air. At the beginning of 2019, VisitScotland, the Scottish national tourism organisation, published its annual Trends Paper examining this new “global consumer phenomenon of wellness”, underlining different micro-trends that could help visitors improve their wellbeing. Through this document, the agency fosters tourism businesses to keep embracing this new trend by making good use of the Scottish natural landscapes, exceptional food&drink and rich culture. Scotland is clearly trying to become “the most Wellness, why choose Scotland? The new trends of tourism to recover from busy lifestyles dynamic visitor economy in the world”, being already well-placed to “capitalise on the global movement that is wellness tourism”. According to Chris Greenwood, VisitScotland Senior Insights Manager, wellness tourism is a “trend that is expected to continue growing”. Considering that wellness tourism targets high-yield tourists (the high-spending travelers), Mr Greenwood believes that “there is huge potential for businesses who want to appeal to this market, creating experiences that enlighten the sense and feed the soul”. The Scottish Government is well- aware of the impact that such tourism is having on the country by contributing to the Scottish economy, generating income, jobs and social change. In a recent interview with Scottish Field, the Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop stated that “Scotland really does have something for everyone, whether it is [its] fantastic scenery which is encouraging people to experience our great outdoors, or outdoor retreats which are helping to develop people’s skills”. She also recognised that Scotland’s ability to embrace wellness within its visitor economy is “embedded within [its] tourism industry DNA”. HOWTHIS NEWTREND IS AFFECTING THE COUNTRY To give an idea of the scale of the phenomenon, since last October doctors on the Scotland islands have been authorised by the archipelago’s health board, NHS Shetland, to issue “nature prescriptions” to patients to help treat mental illness, diabetes, heart disease, stress and other conditions. Obviously, this will not replace medicine but will be added to the treatments, using Shetland’s fantastic wild landscape. In January 2019, for the second year in a row, the Edinburgh Wellbeing Festival welcomed a growing number of visitors to the Scottish capital. The event brought together some of the biggest names in the wellness industry to deliver a weekend of talks, classes and workshops to help visitors lead “healthier and happier lives”. The objective is to make Edinburgh a new centre for the wellbeing aficionados and researchers, taking advantage of the city’s already well-known fame for festivals. ·