New Delhi: For one weekend in September, wellness went global, and India was among the countries helping drive the movement.
From 18 to 20 September, people across 185 countries took part in the 10th World Wellness Weekend, a sprawling annual exercise in moving, breathing, stretching, resting, and connecting. India finished among the top 10 countries for wellness activity, alongside Mexico, Spain, Vietnam, the US, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, Indonesia and Argentina.
Mexico took the overall crown, recording 754 activities across 170 venues. Spain followed with 500 activities, Vietnam with 469, the US with 424 and the Dominican Republic with 421.
Jakarta’s National Monument Monas turned blue on 18 September to mark the event on its tenth anniversary this year. The blue illumination symbolised the “spirit of wellness” and a shared commitment to creating healthier lives, a press release from the event said.
Indonesia finished at 9 among the 185 participating countries, recording 205 activities across 86 venues.
Mexico, meanwhile, was having something of a wellness moment. Cancún emerged as the world’s busiest wellness city, with 307 activities across 58 venues within a 25-km radius of its city centre. Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic followed with 182 activities, while Spain’s Marbella came third with 107.
The rest of the top 10 reads like a curious map of the world’s wellness hotspots: Tulum, Caracas, Singapore, Punta del Este, Playa del Carmen, Malaga, and Los Cabos.
There were yoga classes, fitness sessions and other ingredients of the wellness industry.
The Founder of the World Wellness Weekend, Jean-Guy De Gabriac, started the movement a decade ago. Now, ten years later, he says communities across the world have come together to participate.
“The 10th edition reminds us that wellness has no borders and that small local actions can contribute to a truly global movement turning free classes into food donations and blood donations,” he said in a statement.
The global wellness map
Italy topped the venue count with 272 venues, along with 401 activities. Spain had 234 venues and 500 activities, while Japan recorded 210 venues.
In Italy, participation stretched from Casciana Terme Lari, which recorded 30 activities across 23 venues, to Rome, Milan and Florence. The country’s programme received support from CIWAS, the Confederazione Italiana de Wellness and Sport, and Fondazione SportCity, which helped organise free activities across the country.
Spain’s wellness map was also extensive. Marbella alone recorded 107 activities across 41 venues, while Malaga recorded 48 activities across 30 venues. Madrid, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Barcelona and Las Palmas also featured among the prominent participating cities.
For Mexico, the sheer concentration of activity turned the country into the standout performer of the anniversary edition. Alongside Cancún, Tulum recorded 94 activities, Playa del Carmen 50, Los Cabos 48 and Merida 42.
City rankings were calculated within a 25 km radius of city centres.