The Global Wellness Summit’s 20th anniversary programme will bring medical, creative and hospitality leaders to Phuket as wellness broadens beyond conventional health categories.
The Global Wellness Summit will convene its 20th anniversary event at Angsana Laguna Phuket, Thailand, from November 10–13, 2026, bringing together wellness executives, doctors, academics, investors, technology innovators and policymakers. The programme, announced on July 24, centres on the theme “The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness” and is designed around three days of keynotes and panels. Its significance lies in the range of subjects placed within one agenda, from longevity medicine and women’s health to wellness travel, neuroaesthetics and the commercial evolution of the sector.
The Summit’s framing reflects an industry being discussed through both clinical and cultural lenses. Its organisers say the current moment is marked by closer integration between wellness and medicine, including developments in longevity science, women’s health and precision medicine, alongside renewed interest in ancient wisdom and the emotional, spiritual and creative dimensions of wellbeing. Susie Ellis, chair and chief executive of GWS, described the event as a point where science, medicine and longevity are converging with connection, creativity and purpose, while Thailand’s public-health minister Patana Promphat linked the gathering to the country’s holistic approach to health and wellbeing.
The speaker programme gives those themes a practical shape. Andrea Maier will address the future of longevity science, while Dan Buettner is scheduled to deliver a keynote on his view of longevity’s future. Christopher Asandra will discuss women’s health, hormone therapy and personalised longevity medicine, and the Global Wellness Institute is due to unveil its 2026 Global Wellness Economy Monitor. The release also cites wellness-tourism data showing that Asia’s market grew 31% in 2024 to $215 billion, with India, Thailand, South Korea and China among the region’s fastest-growing markets.
Creative practice is another major strand of the programme. Susan Magsamen is scheduled to present research on how music, art and architecture can affect brain health and overall wellbeing, while Tal Danai will preview a film initiative focused on traditional craftsmanship and artisan cultures. The Summit and Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics are also set to launch an Intentional Spaces Design Challenge, in strategic partnership with Aldar Properties, examining how neuroaesthetics and neuroarchitecture might inform healthier buildings, communities and public spaces.
The agenda extends into business, with speakers examining how hospitality brands are using retail and lifestyle experiences to engage guests and generate revenue, as well as how beauty, consumer wellness and marketing have changed over the past two decades. That combination places the Global Wellness Summit at the intersection of medical services, travel, hospitality, design and cultural practice, without reducing the event to any one of those fields. With registration open and the Phuket meeting scheduled for November 10–13, 2026, the anniversary gathering will offer a concentrated view of the categories and ideas its organisers believe are shaping wellness’s next phase.
