SRI showcases the region's potential at the Global Spa Summit in New York

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Held in New York from the 18th to 20th of May this year, the Global Spa Summit is a world class summit dedicated to help advance the spa and wellness industry on a global basis, and featured the leaders of the hospitality and spa industry from across the globe.

As a key player in the Middle Eastern health and wellness market, Spa Resources International presence at the summit gave the world an exclusive glimpse into the vast sea of opportunity available in the region and the progress it has made in this niche industry.

Spa Resources International is a group that has a reputation for tapping into the potential of largely unexplored markets, and they enhanced this reputation by tuning the spotlight towards the rapidly-emerging Saudi Arabian spa market.

Ms. Daniella Russell, Director of Wafi Health & Leisure Group, the parenting group of Spa Resources International, took the audience on a journey into Saudi Arabia through her speech 'Saudi Arabia, The Secret Frontier', highlighting the importance of this emerging market as a new travel destination and underlining its overall contribution towards the development of the Middle Eastern tourism industry.

Ms. Russell commented on the Middle Eastern spa industry development patterns: 'The region's economic growth has stimulated extensive demographic growth, with educated and broad minded people from across the globe coming to live and work here. The high level of disposable income has created a strong demand for luxury items and wellbeing experiences, and our industry has a great potential for growth that must be explored.'

Her valid points were in sync with the overall theme of the summit this year, which was 'Advancing the Global Spa Economy'.

One of the 2008 highlights was the presentation of the first ever 'Global Spa Economy' research report by the Stanford Research Institute, USA.

It attracted representatives from diverse sectors including the hospitality, investment, finance, consulting, product and other related industries, and highlighted the potential for growth that the industry has.

Besides Spa Resources International, the region was represented by a panel of experts handpicked from the health, wellness and spa industry, who summed up their expert views in a presentation titled 'The Middle East, on the Threshold of Change'.

In addition to unveiling a roadmap for growth, Ms. Russell also brought to light a point that has been high on the Spa Resources International agenda since its inception - investing in human resources.

'I cannot say enough about investing in your people. Spa education globally is crucial. Investing in your people for educational purposes, bringing them on the higher level which gives them an opportunity to grow within the organization and the industry and paying them what they worth will make us an industry that the people will strive to be in. As our industry growth, other health related industries will follow on the international level. This will help achieve overall business progress in the related industries, which will bring more jobs for the various communities' emphasized Ms. Russell, accentuating a philosophy that has played a key role in Spa Resources International success ever since its inception in 2001.