The Summit Wellness 360, the first of its kind in Uruguay, commenced with a warm welcome from government officials and medical professionals who welcomed attendees to Punta del Este, a beautiful coastal town on the Southern coast of the country.
Eduardo Finci, president of the Asociación Americana de Spa, opened the program with a presentation on leadership and innovation in the wellness and wellness tourism industries, emphasizing the opportunities for growth within these sectors. Eduardo highlighted the countries with the highest happiness rankings and those, like Bhutan, that have started to actively measure happiness as a metric relevant to the government. Latin American countries that are high on the happiness index, such as Costa Rica and Mexico, have successful tourism industries and offer wellness tourism experiences. In contrast, Punta del Este, despite being a tourism hub, currently has few wellness tourism experiences on offer – representing a great opportunity for development.
To address this, the Cluster Wellness Lifestyle Punta del Este was created to bring together experts in integrative medicine, wellness, fitness, and biophilic design. This initiative incorporates nutrition, physical activity, meditation, music, medicine, and the local surroundings to build a wellness environment that also supports the community of Punta del Este.
Andres Silva, a former athlete and motivational speaker, explained the importance of nutrition and how it affects not only our bodies, but also how we think. Lorena Diaz, cofounder of de MADI architects and landscaping, discussed the design of the city and the need for it to be reimagined with the pedestrian in mind, not only considering vehicle traffic, but also how people can move around on foot. The ideal situation is that each person should be able to see at least three trees at any time, 30% of the land should have tree coverage, and each person should live within 300 meters of a green space.
Dr. Juan Gabriel Hernandez explained to the audience that his mission is to relieve pain. As a medical professional, he has come to understand that the medical industry can only offer part of the solution, and many preventative therapies and practices can stop pain and improve quality of life long before medical intervention is beneficial. He highlighted seven fundamentals for a transformative wellness center:
1. Change of paradigms from traditional medicine to longevity, prevention, and functional medicine that seeks the root cause of illness, and from traditional tourism to wellness tourism.
2. Leadership of the new wellness professional: guided by consciousness, coherence, empathy, and presence.
3. Precise diagnosis and personalized guidance: only with diagnostic testing can we accurately prescribe the correct plan to improve the guests’ health and wellness.
4. Spiritual intelligence – the new frontier of wellness: working with values, purpose, and connection.
5. Excellence, product, and purpose: ongoing training, research, expansion, and innovation. Wellness is not a trend; it is a discipline.
6. Global strategies and international vision: create global alliances and international strategies using marketing and storytelling to generate confidence and differentiate the business.
7. A higher purpose: a wellness center is not just a business; it is a mission. We must move from selling treatments to offering transformation.
Juan Gabriel also presented his latest project, Terra Santa, a new medical wellness center that incorporates organic farms, hiking, beekeeping, pollen, and honey products.
Jessica Heredia outlined the wellness certification process and the importance of international standards in the wellness industry. Jessica explained the many reasons to invest in the wellness industry and the opportunities for a sustainable return on investment.
The four key areas of the certification include:
1. Staff training and self-care
2. Quality and standardization of processes
3. Management and sustainability
4. Sales and marketing
Certification is a framework for growth, a shared tool to enhance quality, promote coherence, and build trust.
Zully de Silviera, Director of the Institute of Cosmetology, Aesthetics, and Wellness Uruguay, presented the importance of integrative esthetics. Via a thorough consultation and listening carefully to the guest, the connection can be made. During a facial treatment or massage with a therapist who is fully present, a guest can experience transformation.
Gabriela Gergic, of Cielo y Tierra Spa and Wellness in Argentina, shared her experience of how to synergize sales and marketing for spa and wellness businesses. She identified three fundamentals of sales: the client/guest, intelligent segmentation, and realistic, measurable results. The guest must be offered personalized experiences and have the option to join loyalty programs. It is essential to keep in mind the guest you are designing the experience for: it is a wellness traveler, a local, or a digital nomad, etc.?
Digital and relational marketing bring potential clients, and through consultations and strategic alliances, these can be converted into sales. Results must be measurable, with clear objectives that can be evaluated and recalibrated as needed.
Juan Pablo Francolini explained the basics of frequency and resonance, noting that the Earth’s frequency resonates at 7.83 Hz, known as the Schumann frequency. He described light and electricity as two sides of the same coin, and highlighted new research in cosmic science showing that the space in between atoms and galaxies holds plasma filaments, rather than being an empty space, as previously thought.
He also referred to Qubit, a new form of programming, that shows all possibilities simultaneously, unlike the binary system of 0s and 1s that can show only one option. Quoting Nicola Tesla, he reminded the audience that “if you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration”. Juan Pablo also shared pictures of the bioluminescence of the human body, revealing colors emitted from the body.
Flavio Acuña, Lorena Acuña and Gimena Chiazzaro outlined the elements required to create a true wellness retreat, identifying different markets and necessities. This requires expert facilitators, skilled in organizing retreats, as well as sensorial experiences including sound, aroma, nutrition, movement, and a variety of therapies, culminating in a comprehensive integration and follow-up after the retreat.
Flavio also outlined the wellness standards from WITT (Wellness in Tourism & Travel), which provides certifications in healthy food, movement, holistic healing, connection with nature, and local impact.
The summit concluded with a reflection on integrative medicine, which combines body, mind, energy, and purpose, considering the whole person, and utilizing a comprehensive consultation to determine root causes and treatment plans.
By Sara Jones, Editor
