Editor’s note: The global COVID-19 crisis has left each one of us deeply affected and we want to help. Burda Media India has organised a fundraising campaign to #FightBackWithTesting and donating RT-PCR test kits to the worst-affected areas in India, which will be secured from our testing partner Mylab Discovery Solutions. You can help these kits reach many more by donating for the cause or by adopting a kit. Click here to join the fight.When the world comes to a grinding halt, the need to look forward and plan the way ahead takes centre-stage. With this philosophy in mind, and the overarching need to bring the hospitality and tourism industry under one umbrella, Travel + Leisure India & South Asia is launching a series of webinars, #TnlOutreach, which aim to decode the travel trends of 2020-21. In the fourth session, we focus on how the wellness industry is looking at shifting gears After Coronavirus (AC).
Session 4: The Future Of Wellness Travel & Experiences After Coronavirus
Moderated by a Vishwaveer Singh, a hotelier and lifestyle journalist, and a panel consisting of heads from the wellness industry, this session of #TnlOutreach will focus on how the wellness industry is looking at shifting gears post the crisis. How will wellness experiences evolve post-COVID-19? How is the wellness industry gearing up to welcoming guests once the travel bans are lifted? What will the industry look like AC (After Coronavirus), especially since wellness experience is a high-contact industry?
Panellists
Aashica Khanna
Vice President, IHHR Hospitality
Aashica Khanna is a fourth-generation hotelier and a graduate from the School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University NY. She has been heading the planning and execution of all new hotel openings at IHHR Hospitality since 2008. Khanna exemplifies a sharp hotelier acumen and keen sensibility, inherited from her father Ashok Khanna, a pioneer in luxury wellness travel in India and grandson of the late Mohan Singh Oberoi. She has directed IHHR’s efforts strategically through some of its most defining milestones over the last decade, including successfully forging a major multi-hotel alliance and reflagging with Hyatt hotels. She presently leads operations and business development for the company’s ‘Ananda’ destination spa brand and is responsible for selectively expanding the Ananda brand footprint with exceptional hospitality products and mindful wellness offerings.
Ananda is an award-winning luxury destination spa resort situated in the Himalayan foothills of Northern India. Ananda integrates traditional and international wellness experiences, fitness and healthy organic cuisine to restore balance and harmonise energy. Since its inception in the year 2000, it has established itself among the top destination spas in the world and has gained worldwide recognition.
Alejandro Bataller
Vice President, SHA Wellness Clinic
Alejandro Bataller graduated from the Pontifical University of Comillas in Spain (ICADE) before completing his degree in Business Management at Harvard Business School.
Born in Argentina, with Hispanic-Italian roots, he showed a clear calling to the world of marketing and strategy from a young age. He started his career in London, working in the finance industry, before joining the family business.
In 2007, he joined forces with his family to launch SHA Wellness Clinic – now a worldwide reference in health and well-being. SHA Wellness Clinic is celebrating its 10 years’ anniversary this year and has won over 60 international awards, including “Healing Hero” by Tatler UK, Condé Nast Johansens and Spa Finder. In 2014, SHA was awarded the “Medal for Tourism Merit” by the Spanish Government – the highest civil honour in the tourism industry.
Over 50,000 guests have visited SHA and experienced a transformative change with their health and well-being – amongst which are royal family members, heads of state, athletes and many international VIPs from the world of music and cinema.
SHA is a Board Member of Círculo Fortuny (Spanish Association of Luxury), of the European Creative and Cultural Alliance, and is the Founder of the IHWA (International Health and Wellness Alliance).
In addition, Bataller is an Associated Professor at ISEM Fashion Business School, Pontifical University of Comillas (ICADE), Madrid School of Marketing, University of Alicante, and a guest professor at the Condé Nast Traveller Masters Program in Spain. He is also a frequent lecturer at leading forums on luxury, tourism, wellness.
Bataller lives in Madrid, Spain with his wife Rossana and sons. He practices yoga and meditation on a daily basis.
Dr Harald Stossier
Founder and Chief Medical Officer of VIVAMAYR
Prof Dr Harald Stossier, Founder of VIVAMAYR Medical Center – Home to Modern Mayr Medicine – is an electrical engineer, author of over 12 books and policymaker in complementary medicine. Dr Stossier headed the policy-making in EU in 1985 to legalise and recognise complementary medicine. Over the years Dr Stossier has revolutionised the alternative medicine industry in Europe, focusing on Mayr Medicine and bringing it back to life in a contemporary avatar as modern Mayr medicine. Dr Stossier has spoken on platforms amongst thought leaders at the Global Economic Forum and India Today Conclaves, politicians who determine our headlines, policymakers who shape our future, and entertainers who sprinkle stardust on our mundane existence. VIVAMAYR is globally known as one of the top health and wellness clinics, often attracting several of our Indian Bollywood celebrities among other well known global personalities. He believes that significant conversations are a way to generate solutions.
Manoj Khetan
Co-Founder, Naad Wellness
A graduate from Delhi University, Manoj Khetan brings with him over 20 years of experience in managing his family business of wholesale food grains. With a strong foundation in finance, he has been actively involved in setting up new ventures and the process of diversification.
Khetan is actively involved in the day-to-day operations of Naad and it is not an uncommon sight to see him interacting with guests and being a part of staff initiatives.
Pawan Malik
Founder, Shreyas Yoga Retreat
An investment banker turned entrepreneur, Pawan Malik started Shreyas Yoga Retreat in 2004. As a qualified yoga teacher himself, his conviction that spirituality and self-discovery are essential in modern life helped lay the foundation for Shreyas.
Vickum Nawagamuwage
Founder and CEO, Santani Resort and Spa at Santani Resort
Vickum is a pioneering hotelier and tourism strategist who introduced wellness tourism in Sri Lanka through the highly acclaimed Santani Wellness Resort. In 2016, he introduced the concept of wellness tourism in Sri Lanka with the Santani brand. Within three years of operation, Nawagamuwage led Santani to be one of the most celebrated new hotels of the world including being one of the TIME magazines 100 greatest places in the world.
Nawagamuwage is a first-time hotelier and entrepreneur and comes from a strategy consulting background with over 18 years of experience in the strategic advisory. He has expertise in many sectors including tourism and travel, financial services, and public sector. Nawagamuwage has led multinational teams in many parts of the world including Sri Lanka, USA, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Nawagamuwage has received advanced management training at the Harvard Business School and is an MBA holder. He is also a chartered accountant and has a BSC in biology.
Bayar Jain
Senior Content Manager
Equipped with a degree in Sociology (Honours) from the University of Delhi, and a post graduate diploma in English Journalism and Mass Communication from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, Bayar enjoys sharing stories of people, places, and different cultures. When not typing her travel tales, you can catch the hobbyist photographer capturing the next frame, dabbling in arts and crafts, or gushing over puppers and kittens.
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