Spa development in Tourism Industry

Tourism as a tertiary economic activity gives more and more possibilities for countries to compete with each other in various tourist products and destination. New forms of travel, new tourist products and tourist destinations are the new facts of contemporary global tourism industry. Among the attractive tourist destination, spas get great significance and development of spa and wellness tourism is becoming an imperative for many countries that wish to actively participate in the world of tourism.

Spas in hotels and resorts are one of the fastest-growing market segments in the hospitality and tourism industry. Development of Spa Industry in Malaysia has made a good economic impact and become one of the largest market demands among all the tourists who came to Malaysia. Spa resorts have continued to develop throughout all over the world, and in recent years, the market has become increasingly competitive. Today, virtually every hotel at the 5-star level has or is developing a spa concept.

Spas are no longer something to enjoy on holidays but they have become a private convenient hideaway where people can pamper and nurture themselves on a regular basis. The popularity of wellness holidays and spa stays is growing and increase drastically in tourism sector. People in the world, tourists demand for a better lifestyle. As a marketing strategy, there are quite of numbers of hotel in the world developing a spa concept. It will help the tourism economic sector to grow at the same time encourage tourist to enjoy and have a good treatment at the spa, while on holiday. pa tourism is not a new phenomenon in Malaysia.

The increasing popularity of health spas in Malaysia has provided an avenue for lucrative investments in promoting health tourism packages. According to a survey by Intelligent Spas, the number of spas in Malaysia has grown over 200% since 2002 with more than 170 spas currently operating. The industry in Malaysia is still growing and it is expected to reach 250 outlets by 2011, according to the 2007 Country Sector Briefing. The number of people visiting spas is increasing significantly and the spa industry is becoming an important part of leisure tourism.

Today spas have become significant revenue streams. “As the industry continues to develop, spas are becoming independent profit centers, responsible for providing detailed cost accounting to the hotel property and justifying their existence with bottom line income. Executive Summary Objective of The report Making the decision to build a spa involves a substantial capital investment in a business that has unique in the hotel business. Today, spa is a requirement in most five star properties and is considered an advantage in most four and even three star properties.

Objectives •Position Malaysia as the leading destination for spa and wellness tourism •Increase visitation, length of stay and expenditure of spa and wellness visitors. •Encourage further investment in spa and wellness product and infrastructure. •Increase professionalism and excellence amongst those delivering a spa and wellness experience. Literature Review As stated, spa tourism of Malaysia is based on principle of spa and wellness tourism. Wellness of spa in the world are more and more beyond what is called as trend or fashion, and becoming a way of healthy lifestyle.

Strategy of development of spa tourism in Malaysia is going in the directions of connections between “beautiful and useful”. Wellness treatments which complement the main program are definitely proved to be the decisive instrument for achieving the goal of increasing the role of spa tourism in the overall tourist activity. Recommendations arising from the general strategy of development are that people should take care of their health, but much more about. Prevention of illness, in the form of regular travel to a relaxing treatment in the spa and wellness centres.

According to many researcher, an optimum wellbeing comes from a balance between wellbeing in the body, the mind of the spirit (a holistic approach of life) The Malaysian Holistic Health Association 2007 estimated that holistic health as an approach to creating wellness encourages people to: * Balance and Integrate their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects * Establish respectful, cooperative relationship between others and environment * Make wellness- oriented lifestyle choice Actively participate in their health decisions and healing processes In the other word, the development of spa in tourism in Malaysia and the world is going in the way of understanding spas and wellness tourism as a style of life which considered holistic approach- life in accordance to body and soul, so as environment and others. Widespread opinion is that the spa tourism in Malaysia is in a starting stage of is development and that after many years of discouragement lot of actions are needed to place this tourist product in the world market.

Quality is one of the basic elements of development concepts. It is often said that the profit is not always an adequate measure of economic success in now days competitive struggle, and it is certainly superfluous. If it is looked at statistically, because there is no parallel evaluation of changes in position on the market. Expanding of the market and position in the destination market in the form of perspective are correlated with quality.

Companies or tourist destination that lead their business policies on the principles of modern development create all of its effort for the innovation though expending new products and services, improving existing and finding new groups of consumers when it comes to managing the development of spa tourism in Malaysia, it is necessary on the basis of market research design such a level of quality as the consumer wants and expects. Spa in the tourist attraction are not far enough valuated for the simple reason that tourism, in general as a business was never a serious issues of development policy in Malaysia.

On the other hand, another country which the same or weaker spa potentials have made fundamental changes in this form of tourism which led them to the place of the relevant tourist destination of the world. Malaysia has a comparative advantage when it comes to spas, as well as other forms of tourism, close to traditional and new tourist market, and has rich natural and human potential. Despite these advantages, spa tourism in on a very low level of development.

The reasons are as follows: closed market- there has been no process of restructuring and privatization and thus neither to new investment, high centralization- there has been no investment in maintenance and construction of tourist infrastructure in many spa towns, which towns, which reduced development, gray economy,- because of the influence of bad economy practice, it could not be recognized in the real influence of Malaysia economy, general orientation of Malaysia to other activities and not on ourism, the spa were left to local authorities who did not have enough resources to improving this expect of tourism.

Based on the presented data, it can be recognized the need for restructuring and privatization of spas as a one way for attracting foreign direct investment for a process of development and modernization of spa offers. In this enterprise, it is necessary to follow examples of successful countries in the area of spa and wellness tourism and make a development strategy based on the European strategy.

In attracting the larger number of tourists in our country it is necessary to build a wellness centres that are sports and recreational centres, for which the state has begun to separate the money and develop strategy. Which the application of the principle of wellness and spa programs Malaysia expects to receive about half of tourists in the near future. However, poor marketing strategies are one of the reason why medical tourism still does not attract many tourists.