Omtrips

Omtrips Weekly · #3 · 8 September 2026

Omtrips Weekly, Edition 3: Chiang Mai's Longevity City Bid

Every kind of wellness escape, and everything happening around it: retreats, plant medicine research, new stays, and the news that moves the map. Curated weekly.

The Big Story

Chiang Mai Sets Out to Become a $4.7 Billion Longevity Capital

Spa Business2 Sep 2026

Chiang Mai's Chamber of Commerce, together with Thailand's tourism authorities and Chiang Mai University, has unveiled a five-year strategy to remake the northern Thai city as a global longevity capital by 2031. Fourteen flagship projects rest on five pillars: longevity food, herbal medicine, medical services, mindfulness, and smart marketing, all rooted in Lanna culture. Officials project foreign visitors rising from 3 million to 7.5 million a year and up to $4.7 billion in annual visitor revenue.

Retreats

Zambia Welcomes a Traditional African Medicine Retreat

Spa Business2 Sep 2026

A hands-on herbal medicine retreat debuts this December at Nsobe Game Camp in the Miombo woodlands of northern Zambia, co-led by ethnobotanist Abril Giles and Rwandan-Zambian herbalist Hellen Songa. Guests prepare plant remedies daily, walk medicinal plant ecosystems with local healers, and ride safari drives across 1,500 hectares. It is a rare template for practitioner-led, culturally rooted retreats in an emerging destination.

The Farm at San Benito Anchors a $192 Million Wellness Township

Spa Business4 Sep 2026

Philippine developer Megaworld and CG Hospitality are moving ahead with a 25-hectare residential community wrapped around The Farm at San Benito, the celebrated destination retreat in Lipa City. Roughly half the estate is reserved for parks and forest, with villas, a hotel, and holistic wellness facilities arriving over five to seven years. Retreats are evolving from places you visit into places you live.

The Retreat Industry Heads to Croatia, First Global Retreat Report in Hand

Travel Daily News7 Sep 2026

Synergy, The Retreat Show, the trade gathering built for the retreat economy, has announced its speaker lineup for Istria, Croatia, running September 29 to October 2. Headliners include Experience Economy co-author B. Joseph Pine II and Aro Ha co-founder Damian Chaparro, under the theme The Healing Power of Nature. Organizers will also unveil the inaugural Global Retreat Report 2026, promising benchmark data on what retreat travelers expect.

Plant Medicine & Psychedelic Research

New Zealand Approves Supervised MDMA Therapy for Severe PTSD

Euronews4 Sep 2026

New Zealand's medicines regulator has authorized two psychiatrists to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA for adults with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD, making it only the second country after Australia to open a regulated clinical pathway. Every treatment happens in a supervised clinical setting alongside psychotherapy, with no take-home doses. It builds on the country's 2025 move to allow psilocybin prescribing for treatment-resistant depression.

Psilocybin Shows Promise Against Chemotherapy Nerve Pain

AFP via The Manila Times5 Sep 2026

Researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report that psilocybin prevented chemotherapy-induced nerve pain in preclinical models without dulling the treatment's cancer-fighting effect. Peripheral neuropathy affects roughly three quarters of chemotherapy patients, and human trials are planned for later this year. The research signals psilocybin science expanding beyond mental health into physical symptom relief.

US Health Agency Opens Funding for Rigorous Ibogaine Trials

ARPA-HSep 2026

The US Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health has launched ASCENT-IBO, an initiative funding Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials of ibogaine for opioid use disorder, with proposals due October 15. No federally authorized US ibogaine trials currently exist, and many Americans seek the plant-derived compound through unregulated clinics abroad. Supervised research is the strongest counterweight yet to risky ibogaine tourism.

Indigenous Leaders Convene the First World Ayahuasca Forum in Spain

ICEERSSep 2026

Around 2,000 participants, including more than 100 Indigenous spiritual leaders from the Amazon and beyond, gather in Girona this week for the first World Ayahuasca Forum. The agenda centers on ethics and safety standards at retreat centers, facilitator training, sustainable harvesting, and regulatory frameworks that respect Indigenous rights. It is the global ayahuasca community writing its own safety and ethics rulebook.

New Stays

Trunk Reveals a Sapporo Hotel Built Around a Ten-Room Bathhouse

Sleeper3 Sep 2026

Tokyo's cult hospitality brand Trunk has announced its first property beyond the capital: a 107-room hotel in Sapporo opening September 2027, centered on the debut of Trunk(Bath House). Ten distinct bathing spaces span communal baths, high-temperature saunas, cold-water pools, and open-air relaxation areas, each tuned through shifts in temperature, light, and sound. Bathing culture positioned as the heart of a hotel, not an amenity.

Quinta Filippa Brings Ice Baths and Slow Living to Rural Portugal

Wallpaper*1 Sep 2026

Leading Wallpaper's shortlist of new openings is Quinta Filippa, a 16-room countryside estate in Laje, Portugal, where restored agrarian architecture sets the tone for slow living. The wellness program is the draw: a 25-meter heated saltwater pool, infrared saunas, ice baths, and farm-to-table dining. Small rural estates with serious recovery amenities are the fastest-rising template in wellness travel.

Park Hyatt Heads for the Treetops of Mexico City

Sleeper4 Sep 2026

Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos has unveiled its design for Park Hyatt Mexico City Polanco, a 30-story tower overlooking Chapultepec Park, one of the largest urban green spaces in the world. The 155 guestrooms and 38 suites will be joined by the Tezca Spa, a rooftop pool, and Mexican artwork curated throughout. Doors open in spring 2027.

Equinox Opens a Red Sea Resort Around a Seven-Path Wellness Circuit

Spa Business7 Sep 2026

Equinox has opened its second hotel on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast within the Amaala development, debuting the Equinox X Circuit: seven wellness pathways spanning cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen, magnesium pools, sleep rituals, and mind-body training. The 128-room property features circadian lighting in every room and the largest wellness facility at Amaala so far. Performance-driven fitness brands are moving into territory once held by traditional retreats.

Andaz Makes Its Australian Debut on the Gold Coast

Sleeper26 Aug 2026

Hyatt's lifestyle brand Andaz will arrive in Australia with a 202-room Gold Coast property targeting a late 2026 launch. Interiors of warm tones and lush green references draw on the coastal passage of sunlight, while an expansive pool deck is conceived as a day-to-night destination alongside elevated wellness experiences. A flagship Residence Suite is designed for longer stays with indoor-outdoor living.

Industry & Destinations

Wellness Gets a New Power Broker: Informa Acquires the Global Wellness Summit and Institute

Skift Meetings1 Sep 2026

Events giant Informa has acquired the Global Wellness Summit and brought the nonprofit Global Wellness Institute into a new Global Wellness Group, a landmark consolidation in the $6.8 trillion wellness economy. Founder Susie Ellis steps down January 1, 2027, handing leadership to Nancy Davis. The organizations that define wellness data and credibility now sit inside a corporate events empire.

Aman Bets $500 Million on Urban Wellness in Seoul

Spa Business3 Sep 2026

Aman has announced its first South Korean property, a 38-story tower in Seoul's Gangnam district born of a $500 million joint venture between Shinsegae Property and OKO Group. The 70,000 square meter development pairs a multi-floor Aman Spa with 49 branded residences and a members' club. The ultra-luxury brand's pivot from remote sanctuaries to urban wellness strongholds continues.

World Wellness Weekend Turns Ten with Free Events in 187 Countries

Spa Business4 Sep 2026

World Wellness Weekend marks its tenth anniversary September 18 to 20 with free activities planned in a record 187 countries, from yoga and meditation to community gatherings. Venues from Six Senses to community hospitals are offering half-day and multi-day programs involving guests, staff, and neighbors alike. Hosts can still register an event and reach new local audiences at no cost.

Get Omtrips Weekly in your inbox.

The latest in retreats, mind-body research, and new boutique destinations, weekly to your inbox. No spam, ever.