The global wellness economy is valued at USD 6.8 trillion annually, according to the Global Wellness Institute, with longevity emerging as one of its fastest-growing segments. Yet the longevity economy has evolved far beyond the traditional concept of wellness. Today, it is recognised as a multidisciplinary field that brings together preventive healthcare, healthy lifestyles, scientific innovation and strategies for extending both lifespan and healthspan.
As the concept continues to gain momentum, it is creating new opportunities across healthcare, tourism, technology and entrepreneurship. The transformative potential of this rapidly expanding market took centre stage on Wednesday at the Longevity Stories conference, organised by Stories Croatia, the Croatian Chamber of Economy and consulting firm IMEA in Zagreb.
“Longevity is one of the most important development directions in contemporary tourism, centred on dedicating time and individual attention to each guest. Tourism focused on longevity and vitality does not sell only an overnight stay, but a premium experience. This is a market that encompasses medical services, the use of natural resources, wellness and carefully designed experiences, with the aim of offering guests who are ready to invest more top quality, peace and time dedicated to their wellbeing,” said Andreja Vukojević, Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy, emphasising that longevity is also one of the key trends in the business world.
The longevity economy is increasingly encompassing the wellbeing of employees as well. Companies that succeed in keeping people healthy, capable and productive for longer through preventive programmes, monitoring employees’ biological age or flexible working models gain a competitive advantage through fewer sick days, fewer errors, higher productivity and easier talent retention at a time when labour shortages are becoming increasingly pronounced.
“Longevity is not only a medical topic, but also a business category. When organisational culture does not function, companies record up to 37 percent higher absenteeism and 60 percent more errors at work. It is time to turn care for people from a declarative value into a concrete business strategy and for all of us to become partners focused on achieving the same goal,” said Kata Leutar Prosoli, an expert in leadership development and organisational culture.
Nikolina Brnjac, Croatian Member of the European Parliament, also emphasised that investing in younger generations and fostering a culture of longevity is a key element in achieving Europe’s competitiveness and preserving the European social model.
“Europe is facing a profound demographic challenge: population ageing, depopulation of regions and low birth rates, all of which have a decisive impact on the competitiveness of our economies. By 2040, the EU workforce is expected to shrink by almost 2 million workers every year. That is precisely why we must work not only on extending working lives, but on enabling healthier, more skilled and more productive lives across all age groups,” Brnjac stressed.
She added that the European Commission had included her initiative for financing sustainable tourism in the next EU budget, describing this opportunity as strategically important for Croatian health tourism and the entire economy.
Demographic challenges, together with the growing trend of nurturing longevity and vitality, have also opened business opportunities for investors around the world. Gordan Lauc, one of Croatia’s leading scientists and entrepreneurs in this field, confirmed that longevity is not merely a wellness story, but a serious investment sector.
“Population ageing is a global problem, which is why the so-called longevity industry is increasingly in the focus of investors. We are excellently positioned because we have managed to prove that our biological age test is one of the best ways to personalise and validate various interventions aimed at preserving health,” explained Lauc, whose company GlycanAge works with more than two thousand clinics worldwide.
At the panel Health is the New Business Strategy, Marijana Pašalić, CEO of Affidea Croatia, Tamara Aye, Marketing Director at Merkur osiguranje, and Marina Morić, Human Resources Director at Croatia Control, emphasised that employee health is today one of the key business priorities. The discussion focused on how prevention, early diagnostics, mental health, stress management and burnout management are becoming an integral part of companies’ competitiveness.
The second panel of the conference was dedicated to the future of Croatian tourism and the country’s potential to develop as a European longevity destination. Josipa Pipunić, brand visionary of Hotel Materra and founder of Divota, Josipa Jutt Ferlin, CEO of Hilton Hotels Keight and Preko, and Nikolina Misir, CEO of TUI Hotels & Resorts, emphasised that Croatia has natural resources, medical expertise and tourism infrastructure that enable it to develop a premium offering focused on longevity and quality of life.
The aim of the Longevity Stories conference is to create space for establishing the first concrete partnerships and business models in the longevity economy sector.
The organisers believe that Croatia, thanks to its combination of natural resources, medical tradition and strategic position in Europe, has the opportunity to become the first country with a national longevity model and the first European longevity hub. It was emphasised that a longevity destination does not mean developing a single tourism product, but rather a long-term strategic orientation for the entire destination.
The Longevity Stories conference was supported by TUI Hotels & Resorts, Affidea Croatia, Merkur osiguranje Hrvatska,Orka Grupa, PBZ, A1 Hrvatska, dm Hrvatska, Range Rover, Hilton Hotels, Oktal Pharma, Divote Cosmetics, La Rosee, Novelis Medical, THe Artisan Gin and Materia Life.
