The Global Wellness Institute’s (GWI) Spa & Wellness Consulting Initiative – a collection of over 150 global sector consultants – has released the first-ever spa/wellness/fitness consultancy survey results data in the form of an infographic.

"While management consulting is a known commodity, the subset of consultants experienced in creating and operating successful spa, wellness and leisure venues has never been well-defined, until now," said Lisa Starr, co-chair of the initiative.

More than 60 spa and wellness industry consultants were interviewed for the survey, working on behalf of real estate developers, hotel and resort owners/operators, and spa owner/operators. The resulting data findings help to define the scope of the sector. Some key findings include:

• More than half of project engagements had an average cost of more than US$1.5m (€1.3m, £1.2m)• The largest portion of new spa/wellness projects take between 12-18 months to be completed

• The benefits of utilising a consultant include decreased operational costs; cost savings in design, procurement and training; and expenses outweighed by increased speed to profitability.

"Given the continued growth and consumer interest in personal wellness, our initiative was formed to provide resources to connect hoteliers and developers with accomplished professionals who can provide proper guidance so that their projects result in optimum experiences for guests – and consistent revenue and margins for them as owners and/or operators," said Starr.

More on the survey results can be found in the annual Spa Business Handbook.