Peninsula Hot Springs founder heads Global Wellness Institute’s Hot Springs Initiative

Charles Davidson, co-founder and Chief Executive of Peninsula Hot Springs on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, is currently heading the Global Wellness Institute's Hot Springs Initiative.

Involving a global network of hot springs owners, operators, academics and industry participants dedicated to exploring the diverse potential of geothermal waters to contribute to the health and wellbeing of visitors as well as the economies and societies in which they are located, the Hot Springs Initiative aims to connect communities who have geothermal water and provide opportunities to meet, share thoughts and collectively grow the industry while generating consumer and political awareness of this unique natural and sustainable resource found in every country.

The Fingal-based Peninsula Hot Springs has been a major success since its opening in 2005, attracting more than 400,000 visitors a year. A $13 million expansion including the addition of nine new pools, a ‘fire and ice experience’ and new cafe that opened in the middle of 2018, is expected to raise the annual number of visitors to 750,000.

As well as his roles with Peninsula Hot Springs and the GWI, Davidson is Chair of the Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC); a member of the Victorian Tourism Ministerial Advisory Committee; a founding member and past vice-president of the Australasian Wellness Association (ASWell).

His passion for hot springs started when he entered the waters at Kusatsu Onsen in Japan in 1992 and, since then, he has travelled to more than 40 countries on hot springs research missions in a search to find how cultures of the world share the gift of thermal waters for health, wellbeing and community creation.

What he learns is translated into transformative experiences at Peninsula Hot Springs, and at other hot springs he has designed, to help visitors relax in nature and with each other to connect with the wellness of their being.

For more information on the Global Wellness Institute's Hot Springs Initiative go to globalwellnessinstitute.org/initiatives/hot-springs-initiative/

Images Charles Davidson (top) and pools at Peninsula Hot Springs (below).