J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group MEA has released its Future 100 Trends and Change to Watch in 2017 report, which highlights the top 100 consumer trends driving change across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Gene editing, new mental health, halal tourism and the year of giving are just a few trends that describe a region advancing social change for itself and others, through diversity and inclusion.

For brands wishing to keep pace, and tune in to current consumer attitudes, the report is a must read guide about sectors and personal needs that have been ignored for way too long, a statement said.

The 100 trends are categorised into ten major consumer categories, including travel and hospitality, retail, health, and food and drink.

GENE EDITING
The Arab world is poised to take off on the biotech frontier. Pioneering initiatives are surfacing that will fill the lack of Middle Eastern genomics data, and potentially revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the report said.

HALAL TOURISM
The tourism industry has woken up to the growing spending power of the Muslim traveler well beyond the Arab world. Asia and Europe already account for 87 per cent of the entire market. Hospitality brands are making sure they do not miss out on the segment, the report said.

DATA: THE NEW LUXURY
In an age that has become increasingly beholden to data, people are coming to consider their data as highly precious. Evolving past conventional security on devices, the psk series of jewelry has replaced diamonds and gems with something far more valuable per square millimetre – personal data.

Founded by Wagenknecht and Sunde, the psk series shines a harsh light on the tech industry that relies on users’ data, instead of direct payment, to fund their operations, the report added.

“Having documented how consumers are evolving for over five years now, it is incredible to watch the pace of change accelerate so much across the region,” said the MEA director of the Innovation Group, Mennah Ibrahim.