News

Healthtrip Expands Into Middle East To Boost Health Tourism

The company has also launched THRIVE, a unique personal transformation program designed to rejuvenate the mind and body.

Published

2 years ago

September 12, 2024

Nour Nasir

healthtrip expands into middle east to boost health tourism

Healthtrip, a UK-based platform specializing in medical and wellness travel, has officially extended its operations into the Middle East, opening offices in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia. This expansion is aimed at meeting the growing demand for advanced healthcare services in the region.

Middle Eastern countries are increasingly focused on becoming global hubs for health tourism, and the region already attracts millions of international visitors each year. The health tourism industry, currently valued at over $1 trillion annually, caters to individuals seeking high-quality medical treatments abroad.

With a rapidly aging Western population and significant wealth among older generations, the sector is growing at an impressive 18% per year. The rise is further driven by increased awareness of available treatments and improved lifespans.

danish ahmed ceo of healthtrip

Danish Ahmed, CEO and co-founder of Healthtrip, stated: “Our recent expansion into the Middle East aligns with the region’s mission to advance health, wellness, longevity, and anti-aging experiences for global travelers. Treatments such as longevity and aesthetics are rapidly growing in demand in the region’s destinations, complementing its well-established medical offerings”.

To date, Healthtrip has served more than 65,000 clients from 38 countries via its cutting-edge AI-powered platform. The technology connects patients with healthcare providers based on factors such as treatment type, ratings, cost, and location. Additionally, the platform offers a range of destination services, such as hotel bookings, airport transfers, concierge services, and interpreter support.

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Healthtrip’s unique offering has quickly made it a dominant player in the global health tourism sector, along with support from several UAE-based venture capital firms. In the Middle East, the company has established partnerships with respected healthcare providers, including Saudi German Hospitals, Burjeel Group, American Hospital, Kings College Hospital, Zoya Wellness, and Kaya Skincare.

Along with its recent expansion, Healthtrip has also created THRIVE, a unique transformation program designed to rejuvenate the mind and body. THRIVE offers a residential experience focusing on physical therapy, mental wellness, and holistic health practices, appealing to individuals looking for a comprehensive lifestyle reset.

News

Instagram Redraws Its Wordmark And The Internet Reads “Instagzam”

Instagram’s first wordmark refresh in a decade arrives with new fonts, a restrained gradient — and a Reddit verdict of sidegrade.

Published

4 days ago

August 14, 2026

Nour Nasir

Instagram

Although Instagram’s famous camera icon hasn’t changed, the company has refreshed the handwritten wordmark at the top of its app. This is the first redesign we’ve seen in ten years, and one the internet promptly set about renaming.

“The wordmark at the top of the app hasn’t changed in 10 years, so it was time for a refresh,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote in a post on August 13, describing the new version as “cleaner and more modern” while keeping references to the original design.

Instagram says its team explored hundreds of options — all-caps lettering, camera-inspired concepts, even literal handwriting — before returning to script. “Script reflects individuality, so referencing that felt right,” Instagram director of product design Jasmine Probst said in Meta’s announcement. “The new wordmark is bolder and simpler, with touches of unexpectedness. It cues individual expression, a personal voice, both of which have always been core to Instagram”.

The wordmark is part of a broader brand overhaul: an updated Instagram Sans typeface, two new fonts — the hand-drawn Instagram Pen and Instagram Mono — plus refreshed motion and layouts, and more restrained use of the signature gradient. The wordmark is rolling out globally now, with the rest arriving throughout 2026 and beyond.

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The design mixes cursive and print lettering, some characters connected and others floating free. That hybrid approach, combined with unusually shaped “s” and “r” characters, led some users to conclude the logo actually reads “Instagzam”. On the r/logodesign subreddit, one user said the wordmark looked “fan-made,” like something built in Canva; another called it “an unsettling mix of manuscript and cursive”; a third summarized it as a “sidegrade” — or, inevitably, a “zidegrade”.

Not everyone was hostile to the new look. Some found the half-cursive design stylish and surprisingly readable, while others called it an improvement on its predecessor, and one commenter argued Instagram was simply adopting minimalist branding later than everyone else. Either way, the platform now has a refreshed identity, three updated fonts, and an unofficial new pronunciation.