Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/542735
"Instead of going on a cruise and gaining weight, we decided to come here," Rob Robinson, 54, of Calgary, Canada, says of the intense, week-long program hosted by the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center in Aurora. He gently clasps his struggling wife's hand, and they start moving again, the mountaintop – and turnaround point — coming into view high above them. "We needed this." New Frontier The Robinsons are among a growing breed of "wellness tourists" eschewing margarita-heavy beach vacations or buffet-laden cruise trips for escapes aimed specifically at boosting health. The global "wellness-tourism" market grew 12.5 percent in 2013 to nearly $500 billion, making it one of the fastest-growing sectors of the $3.2-trillion tourism industry, according to the Florida-based Global Wellness Institute. The United States makes up about a third of the market, with overworked businessmen and women flocking to spas, hot springs, multi-sport fitness camps, and mind/body retreats for a reboot. With the recent advent of CU's "Destination Boot Camp" and the "Biggest Loser" resorts in Illinois, Florida and New York (modeled after the NBC reality show), industry experts predict "weight-loss tourism" is the next frontier. Add a new Estes Park program in the works — a collaboration between CU, The Stanley Hotel, and the Estes Park Medical Center — and Colorado is poised to be a hotspot. "Americans work so hard and have so little vacation time, and because of their sedentary lifestyle, chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity are rampant," says Beth McGroarty, research director for GWI. "People can no longer afford vacations that make them feel worse when they get back than when they left." Destination Boot Camp is the brainchild of endocrinologist Dr. Holly Wyatt, an associate professor and obesity expert in CU's Department of Medicine and co-author of the weight-loss book "State of Slim" (Rodale; 2013). Shortly after the book's publication, Wyatt got a call from ABC asking if CU would be interested in hosting "Extreme Weight Loss" – a noncompetitive reality show chronicling the year-long weight-loss journey of 17 extremely obese people. Participants would spend the first 90 days staying in a Denver hotel and working with Wyatt daily at the wellness center. It was a tough sell, Wyatt recalls. " P e o p l e c a n n o l o n g e r a f f o r d v a c a t i o n s t h a t m a k e t h e m f e e l worse when they get back than when they left." Thirty-three "Destination Boot Camp" participants celebrate their success at the end of a snow-pelted, five-mile hike at Matthews/Winters Park near Red Rocks. The intense weight-loss camp, hosted by the University of Colorado, represents a growing tourism trend. Health and Wellness Magazine • 57