Experienced tour operator Samantha Gee was taken on by the company to develop the programme, which now features what Red Savannah considers to be “the world’s top 22 wellbeing retreats”, following visits to 40.
Speaking at the launch of Zen this week, Red Savannah founder George Morgan-Grenville said Zen was a direct response to a “health time bomb”.
“Quite simply, we are living in a dangerous world where age longevity is increasing, health care costs are sky rocketing, stress is omnipresent and antibiotic immunity is growing,” he said. “People are beginning to wake up to the health time bomb that lies ahead.”
He pointed out how in the UK, stress accounts for 35% of all work-related ill health.
“And with life expectancy on the increase, it is clear that now is the time to focus on personal wellbeing,” he said. “The angle we have taken at Red Savannah is to provide a holistic approach that is geared towards total wellbeing covering four key elements - physical, mental, spiritual and emotional.”
Some of the 20 retreats Zen launches with include Vivamayr Altaussee in Austria; Carnoustie Ayurveda & Wellness Resort in Kerala and Ananda in the Himalayas in India; Como Shambhala Estate in Indonesia; Capri Palace Hotel & Spa and Palace Merano Espace Henri Chenot in Italy; SHA Wellness and The Gut Retreat in Spain; Wildfitness in Zanzibar, Tanzania; and Kamalaya and Chiva Som in Thailand.
Gee said she would also be looking to include retreats in the US in the next phase of the programme’s development.
