RESEARCH


RESEARCH SPECIAL


SENSE OF PLACE


With a pan-Asian economy coming into play this year, a study by Stenden Rangsit University gauges industry opinion on spas across the region. Thai spa consumer trends were also observed. Research coordinator Prantik Bordoloi reports


T


Findings were fi rst unveiled at the World Spa & Well-being Convention


TABLE 1 Industry Rating of Therapist Skills in ASEAN Countries*


1 Thailand


Indonesia Singapore Philippines Malaysia Vietnam


Cambodia Myanmar


2.4 2.3 3.5 3.3 2.9


2.8 2.8


2 3 4 3.9 5 Thailand


Indonesia Singapore Philippines Malaysia Vietnam


Cambodia Myanmar


*Source: Thailand’s 2014 Spa Industry Study, Stenden Rangsit University. Answers given by spa managers KEY: 1 POOR / 2 FAIR / 3 GOOD / 4 VERY GOOD / 5 EXCELLENT


82 spabusiness.com issue 1 2015 ©CYBERTREK 2015


2.3 2.3


3.4 3.0 2.8 2.7


he impact of the 2015 ASEAN Economy Community (AEC) and spa- goer habits were the focus of Thailand’s 2014 Spa Industry


Study which was revealed in September. The study by Stenden Rangsit University, in collaboration with the Thai Spa Association, was based on a survey of nearly 300 spa consumers and over 100 spa operators (see right) and provides some interesting insights.


SPAS IN THE AEC This year, the anticipated AEC comes into effect, influencing businesses in Southeast Asia. The AEC is a single market initiative


led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which represents 10 member countries – Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Likened to the European Union, it will see the free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labour and capital flow between the 10 countries. With this in mind, the 2014 Spa Industry


Study asked operators to compare certain aspects of the spa sector in eight ASEAN countries by ranking them on a scale of 1 to 5 (poor to excellent). It should be noted this part of the study was optional and is based on the views of 20 spa managers. The answers give some idea


TABLE 2 Industry Rating of Therapist Availability in ASEAN Countries*


1 2 3 4


3.7 3.7


5


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100