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RITIKA SHARMA / EMIRATES BUSINESS
If you think that for tourists the UAE is just about sun, sand and Burj-Khalifa, you are blissfully mistaken. More tourists are heading to the Emirates for other reasons than just shopping festivals and desert safaris. Wellness holiday, a comparatively expensive but alluring vacation concept is bringing more tourists to the UAE than ever before and the good news is: it is poised to grow.
UAE’s spa industry, a major segment of wellness holiday, is forecast to achieve revenues of US$2.26 billion by 2017, making it one of the most valuable tourism-related industries in the Middle East. According to reports, the UAE will top spa growth in the region by 2017, more than doubling current business volume with 17.9 percent annual growth since 2012. Keeping this in mind, this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) will be shining a light on the burgeoning wellness tourism sector in the MENA, which has been identified as the second fastest growing market in the world for spas after Sub-Saharan Africa.