Swimming Pools & Wellness: A branch of industry with a future

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Swimming Pools & Wellness: A branch of industry with a future"

Elinor Bennett
6 years ago
Views:

Swimming Pools & Wellness: A branch of industry with a future The President of the Association for Swimming Pools and Wellness e.v. (bsw), Dietmar Rogg and bsw Executive Director Dieter C.

1 Swimming Pools & Wellness: A branch of industry with a future The President of the Association for Swimming Pools and Wellness e.v. (bsw), Dietmar Rogg and bsw Executive Director Dieter C. Rangol talked about the development of the swimming pool and wellness industry prior to aquanale A changing economy If one googles the word "swimming pool", one get around 21 million hits. For "wellness" it is almost 400 million. The swimming pool and wellness market is very much under focus and is supported by the social changes - above all the increased awareness for health and the ageing population. It is possible to remain young even up to an old age, if one invests in a healthy lifestyle. More and more people are prepared to do this. And the swimming pool and wellness industry offers the appropriate products. An own pool, a sauna or a complete wellness room provide active relaxation and offer fitness options for all ages. Quite rightly, particularly swimming is extremely popular and is referred to as the "number one healthy sport", because it is kind on the joints and improves the heart, circulation and stamina. A sport that one can practice one's whole life long. Health - for people and nature Kontakt: Ute Wanschura Bundesverband Schwimmbad & Wellness e.v. (bsw) An Lyskirchen 14 D Köln Telefon +49 (0)221/ Telefax +49 (0)221/ info@bsw-web.de Internet

2 Seite 2 However, one doesn't just think about oneself and one's health. Nature should also remain healthy. The climate change and increasing environmental pollution have led to a rethinking process. Being green is not just a necessity, but also a lifestyle. Whereas 30 years ago one laughed at the "muesli eating ecos", today it is considered to be important to strike an ecological balance. One's own pool that was in the past considered to be a pretentious energy guzzler, is today characterised today by its energy efficiency and sustainability. This is underpinned by the following five aspects. Firstly: The swimming pool industry manufactures products that preserve energy. For example, today every pool has a swimming pool cover. This stops the water from cooling down as quickly and thus considerably reduces the energy consumption required for the reheating process - depending on the size, usage intensity and location - by more than 50 percent. Secondly: Alternative energy sources are "tapped into". The sun shines free of charge, without any harmful emissions. This is why our industry offers products that use natural warmth - for example a heat pump or solar absorber. Thirdly: our products are becoming more efficient in general. Among others, this is demonstrated by the pump. It needs energy in order to get the circulation and cleaning circuits going. However, modern technologies provide a higher level of efficiency - which means less power consumption for the same performance. Fourthly: New technologies are advancing. For example, this is demonstrated by LED technology, which is not only popular in the house, in the meantime it is also implemented for the pool. LED lamps have two basic advantages compared to older techniques. They have a much higher service life and consume around 80 percent less energy. Fifthly: Sustainable materials are used. One example here is stainless steel. The shiny material not only scores highly in terms of its aesthetics. It also convinces from an environmental point of view. Because stainless steel is durable and is 100 percent recyclable.

3 Seite 3 Digital penetration Furthermore, the "green wave" is profiting from a further mega trend, the progressive digitalisation. Not only people and markets, also products are becoming interlinked and can thus work more efficiently. Furthermore, this makes things more comfortable for the customer. Per smartphone, table or PC, he can heat his sauna up to operating temperature, switch on the attractions in the pool and control the water values. And it continues further. House technologies and swimming pool technologies are becoming one. Intelligent controls that the customer can operate simply have a "complex core". This leads on the one hand to cooperations in and outside of the swimming pool industry. On the other hand, it faces the industry, trade and artisan trade with big challenges. Lifelong learning, flexibility and dynamisation are the key words of our era. The digitalisation has reached our everyday lives and is also opening up manifold possibilities to the new working world. The boundaries between professional and private life are becoming more and more blurred. The home office is a good example of this. People, who work from home, spend more time at home than someone, who only uses his own four walls in his free time. In this case, it is doubly worth investing in a garden pool - especially since it is becoming apparent that there is increased willingness to spend money on an overall attractive living ambience. At the beginning of the year die Welt's headline on this topic: "The kitchen is the German's new Porsche." Status symbols are found at home today. High financial assets, low interest rates The private budgets are looking good. The Germans alone have private assets to the value of around 5.2 billion Euros. Because the interest rates have reached an all-time low, conventional saving has become unattractive. One is investing in one's own real estate. It can be upgraded with high-quality furniture and living accessories. However, those who are also interested in their own health, can hardly ignore our industry. There is still upward scope. In Germany, there are 720,000

4 Seite 4 privately used pools. Most of them are open-air pools. Totalling 130,000, indoor pools only make up a small share of these. If one adds to these above-ground pools with a water level of under one metre, we reach a total of 2 million pools. And every year - depending on the weather and the economic situation - between 8,500 and 12,000 new pools are added to this. The 750 specialist swimming pool construction companies in Germany can above all do business in the high-end, luxury and renovation sectors. The "cash and carry" market plays a rather subordinate role for specialised pool companies. Basically, one can say: People, who invest in a pool, are "not stingy". This becomes above clear, when one takes a look at today's systems that are more like designer items. Round and colourful is passé. Less is more - that is the how the development in the industry can be described. The systems are purist, the design aspects are reduced. Clear shapes and transparent elements create timeless elegance without having a pretentious effect. Touchscreens and apps are the chic "control elements" of today. And there is a certain trend towards experimenting. New materials are tried out, without neglecting established materials. Aesthetics is a dominant theme, which is also relevant for the swimming pool down to the smallest detail. Even fitted parts have long since progressed from being merely functional products, they now also stand out as a result of their contemporary design. With a view to the increased environmental awareness, natural colours and materials have become popular. The mega trend towards individualisation is also perceivable in the pool sector. Every wellness enthusiast can design his facility to suit his own tastes. Free shapes and manifold optional accessories turn every pool into a unique specimen, which reflects the needs of the individual customer. Swimming pool manufacturers not only understand their trade. They are creative experts, who also take the pool environment into account. The water oasis shouldn't have a disturbing effect, it is supposed to fit into the

5 Seite 5 environment nicely. Whereas in the past it was just a pool in the garden, today it is an holistic pool garden including shallow water zones, pool attractions and fountains - even if the gardens are tending to become smaller due to the ongoing urbanisation. Lacking space - masses of possibilities We are experiencing a rural exodus. More and more people are moving to the city. Living space is a scarce commodity. The plots are getting smaller. But that doesn't mean one has to do without a pool. For example, a pool with the dimensions three metres by seven metres can even be installed in a small area. And intelligent accessories such as a counter-current system compensate for the tight amount of space. A further answer to the lack of space offered by the swimming pool industry is swim spas for instance. The compact swimming pools are not only suitable for swimming and water gymnastics. They also offer massage units and thus provide relaxation after the fitness programme. Hence, functionality and aesthetics even go hand in hand when there is only a limited amount of space. Whereas it is possible to create comfortable wellness temples on nearly every property nowadays, one doesn't want to do without them when travelling either. This is why, in addition to public swimming baths operators and experts for the private pool construction, aquanale offers also hoteliers the opportunity to make their pools fit for the future. Economic power of wellness - also when travelling A survey carried out on behalf of the travel portal Expedia shows how the travellers imagine their holiday in the year percent of the respondents want a high level of comfort. This is perhaps a reason why cruises are becoming more and more popular every year. Because here particularly high demands are fulfilled. A cruise without a pool and wellness area is unimaginable. And this will no doubt remain so. The survey shows overall that the desire for wellness will also increase in the future too. Whereas it doesn't always have to be

6 Seite 6 big luxury temples. Holidaymakers can also imagine spending the nicest time of the year in small, family-run hotels. With the right pampering offers, the hotels beyond the chains also have good opportunities on the market. The swimming pool industry is looking confidently ahead to the future and is looking forward to the sixth edition of aquanale, which has become more international and bigger from year to year. In order to offer the visitors further added value in addition to the trade fair, the Cologne Swimming Pool and Wellness Forum is being staged. In the heart of Hall 6.1, interested parties can inform themselves about new norms, trends and current themes in the course of the diverse expert programme - free of charge and without pre-registering.

AQUANALE COLOGNE, NEW IN 2019! NOW INCLUDING PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL SECTOR

AQUANALE COLOGNE, NEW IN 2019! NOW INCLUDING PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL SECTOR www.aquanale.com NEW IN 2019! NOW INCLUDING PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL SECTOR AQUANALE COLOGNE, 05-08.11.2019 INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR FOR SAUNA.POOL.AMBIENCE. Photo: www.pool-aesthetics.com EXHIBITORS AT AQUANALE