Despite Asian spas becoming more holistic, outbound travel agencies say the regional wellness market remains miniscule for them. Direct bookings are a reason. There is also plenty of choice at home. TTG Asia looks at several Asian spa markets and their preferences
SINGAPORE
Wellness travel is evolving among Singaporeans who travel consultants said are demanding a more “life-changing experience” than a body massage could give.
Rufus Tan, director at Quotient Travel Planner, said: “When people (Singapore travellers) refer to a wellness travel package today, they are more likely to be referring to a holistic programme, as opposed to a day spa, where the client deviates from his/her usual lifestyle and embarks on a scheduled programme designed to cleanse either body, mind or soul, or all three.”
For such holistic packages, the emphasis is on personalisation, where a programme is tailored to achieve a desired outcome after consulting an in-house doctor or specialist.
“Depending on the individual, the programme could cover a diet, physical exercise, meditation and massages, all designed to foster a sense of well-being,” Tan said.
CTC Travel’s senior vice president marketing and public relations, Alicia Seah, called these individuals “hard core” spa-goers, adding they are still a niche audience. The majority are singles in their early 30s, typically the busy working female professional.
Seah added that growing affluence and knowledge has created a greater interest for such packages, with CTC registering a five per cent year-on-year demand. Thailand, Bali and South Korea are popular, she said.
Likewise for Simon Cameron, managing director of Lightfoot Travel, wellness packages are popular among predominantly females. He said: “These travellers are those who work in professional fields, with long hours, or are mothers who juggle family and job.”
He agreed with Seah that wellness packages are largely popular in Thailand and Bali.
However, Cameron said: “We do not see a huge demand for wellness holidays specifically. Most still like to have a (general) beach, trekking or cultural exploration holiday with a few great spas and massages thrown in throughout the trip.”
As these packages are more personal, travel consultants said such travellers prefer direct bookings instead of going through them.
Seah said: “Asians being naturally shy will not approach an outsider with regards to their health conditions and issues. Also, the abundance of knowledge acquired from the Internet on this makes tour operators redundant.”
Quotient’s Tan added that wellness programmes are usually resort-based hence there is “not much value add” for the clients.
He suggested: “Perhaps agencies can start considering dedicated departments to do wellness programmes, where consultants are well versed in the various types of wellness programmes and are able to recommend programmes accordingly.
“They should have a basic knowledge of the differences between dietary, meditation, yoga and massage programmes. In this way, they can play more of an informed consultative role to prospective customers,” he said. – Lee Pei Qi
THE PHILIPPINES
The Philippine wellness market is primarily domestic and inbound, with outbound lagging behind.
Simon Ang, managing director-operations, Celebrate Life, Travel & Leisure, said wellness travel among Filipinos has not taken off owing to the availability of local services like massages and spa therapies that are almost identical in quality and techniques with their Asian counterparts.
Ang, who tried pioneering wellness travel several years ago by booking members of the erstwhile Spa Association of the Philippines (now Philippine Health and Wellness Society) on an educational tour of spas in Thailand, admitted the local market is not yet ready for it.
Agreeing, Josefina Baena, general manager of New Era Travel and Tours, said there is “no outbound, only booming domestic and inbound wellness travel” due to a growing prevalence of reasonably priced yet quality wellness and medical facilities in the country.
From the narrow concept of massage and spa, wellness in the Philippines has evolved into a holistic concept balancing body, mind and spirit, as seen from the opening of centres including The Farm at San Benito in Batangas, both Nurture Spa and Sonya’s Garden in Tagaytay, and the vast grounds of Chi Spa at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, among others.
The wellness menu has also expanded with the introduction of bespoke services for detox, weight loss, destressing, beauty enhancement, healing and the like.
And catching up with trends abroad, wellness has also become broader to encompass health and aesthetics and, frequently, medical tourism. Hence the smorgasbord of offerings from medical spas and plastic and reconstructive surgery to dental surgery, eye care and cancer care and treatment.
As a result, Ine Faustino, general manager of CCT 168 Travel and Tours, said Filipinos do not have to travel abroad purely for wellness. There are, however, special medical tourism cases, like stem cell therapy in Europe, fertility clinics in Singapore and Taiwan, and advanced medical procedures in the US that are not available locally.
Thailand has carved a name for sex change, plastic surgery, skin whitening and slimming medicines, said Dorothy Aytona, president and general manager, Skynet Travel Corp.
Among Asian NTOs, Aytona said Korea Tourism Organization Manila is one of the most aggressive in promoting medical tourism, having just completed promoting the province of Gyeonggi-do, a mecca for medical tourism.
Taiwan Tourism Bureau is also active in promoting medical tourism, including its therapeutic hotsprings, to Filipinos.
While Japan’s National Tourism Organization does not highlight wellness offerings, some travel agencies including Universal Holidays have included onsens or hotsprings in their tour packages.
Some clients like it but others hesitate skinny dipping in onsens, according to Michelle Victoria, president and general manager, Golden Eagle Travel and Tours. – Rosa Ocampo
INDONESIA
Home to famous traditional treatments such as the Javanese lulur and respected for its skilled masseuses, it is no wonder Indonesian spa enthusiasts make a beeline for their own country, with Bali as the number one destination.
WITA Tour director of sales and marketing Rudiana said: “Indonesians can find a wide variety of spa facilities in the country at affordable prices; there is no incentive to look elsewhere.”
While shopping is a must in a tour programme for Indonesian outbound travellers and demand for culinary experiences is increasing, wellness has yet to catch on, observed Panorama Tours vice president retail business development, Fenny Maria.
“Some clients would request to include a spa treatment when travelling to Thailand, but they will not ask for one when travelling to Singapore or Hong Kong. Even then, they will not choose an elaborate spa programme, usually only an hour of spa treatment or so.
“Rare are those who want the more special treatments such as a hot stone massage, mud or chocolate scrub, or a signature programme. Price is the main consideration. The more exotic the programme, the more expensive it is. They will then compare it with what they could get back home and find it more affordable at home,” she said.
Indonesians who travel to resort destinations in the country, especially Bali, usually go for a spa. Even MICE events now include spa teaser programmes like a mini shoulder and foot massage.
There are also niche segments such as yoga groups that would spend a two-day/one-night programme in Bali taking a yoga class, practising by the river, doing meditation, and having a spa treatment and a healthy-cooking class. Such a package costs around Rp4 million (US$353) per person, while a similar package in Thailand could cost twice as much, Multi Holidays managing director, Rudy Techrisna, said.
Techrisna added: “In Bali, you can have a massage for Rp75,000 in a small day spa, or a sophisticated five-star yoga and wellness package. Indonesians don’t have to travel to Thailand or India to have them.”
Spas in neighbouring countries wanting to tap Indonesians could look to the luxury market or honeymooners. Smailing Tour vice president leisure division, Kurniawan Halim, said: “When a member of the high society or a honeymooning couple have had a good spa experience overseas, they would tell their friends and go again in a group.
“These travellers may book a flight and hotel with travel companies but arrange their own programme in the destination.” – Mimi Hudoyo
MALAYSIA
The Malaysian outbound spa market is small and growing slowly, according to tour operators.
Some of them, like Grandlotus Travel Agencies, tap Indian travellers in Malaysia to destinations such as Kerala, which is well known for Ayurveda.
Grandlotus managing director, K Thangavelu, said: “They have heard that Kerala is well known for Ayurveda and they wish to experience it out of curiosity. For this segment we have seen a year-on-year growth of five per cent.
“There are also those with ailments such as high blood pressure, rheumatism and diabetes who go for Ayurveda treatments to improve their health. Stays can range from two weeks to six months.
“Some ask us to recommend a centre and arrange everything for them, including flights, accommodation with full meals at the centre and consultation, while others will communicate directly with the centre and we do the transfers.
“This segment of travellers is still very small and we have business on an ad hoc basis. As we don’t advertise, they hear that we can make arrangements for them through word of mouth.”
Hidden Asia Travel & Tours tried to tap the Indian wellness market a year ago by including a one-day Ayurvedic treatment into its South India programme covering Kerala, Trichy and Rameswaram. But growth was minimal. However, managing director, Nanda Kumar, is not giving up.
With the depreciation of the Indian rupee against the ringgit, Nanda recently started promoting Ayurveda treatments in India to the Malay and Chinese communities in Malaysia at consumer travel fairs and through advertising in the local Malay and Chinese papers. The main challenge he faces is convincing Malay clients that there are halal restaurants in Kerala.
New Asia Holiday Tours & Travel general manager, Raaj Navaratnaa, also saw minimal growth of three to five per cent since venturing into wellness programmes two years ago. Popular destinations are Kerala and Bali. He sells a nine-day or 14-day total detox programme in Kerala, which includes vegetarian meals and consultation with an Ayurvedic practioner. His five-day/four-night detox programme in Bali includes organic meals and massages.
He said clients who ask for these programmes want to feel good at the end of the programme.
He added: “There is potential growth especially for travellers who have already been to India and Bali many times. Wellness offerings will give them new reasons to revisit the destination.”
Raaj said the main challenge of promoting wellness tourism is the lack of awareness among the Malaysian public on the benefits of wellness. He said: “Most people, especially the elderly, think they know what is best for them. It is difficult to convince them to take a few days off and go for a wellness programme.”
Panorama Tours Malaysia was at press time developing a wellness package to Nepal which involves meditation and yoga practices for total mind and body relaxation. This is scheduled to be launched in November.
Its managing director, Richard Vuilleumier, said the target markets are business owners and senior managers. “We will have scheduled departures, perhaps twice or thrice a year, depending on how the market reacts to the product. I expect it to appeal only to special interest clients.” – S Puvaneswary
HONG KONG
While the Hong Kong outbound market is a mature Asian market overall, its wellness segment is still a baby, said tour operators.
Kuoni Travel (China) general manager – sales, marketing and distribution, Raymond Ng, said: “Currently the awareness and acceptance of wellness travel is still low, so raising awareness obviously is the first step to take.”
Sunflower Travel Service senior manager, Wendy Li, said: “It’s still in the infant stage, accounting for less than 10 per cent of our business. I take care of FITs by tailoring the programme for them, but they are only concerned about entertainment, fun and dining. They are not ready to spend on a trip for the sole purpose of wellness. Some clients may ask for spa services at a specific destination, but this is only a small element of wellness travel. To me, it’s an experience at wellness resorts such as Chiva Som in Thailand. Unfortunately, I have not received many requests from clients to stay there.”
Li expects the market to take off slowly in the next five to 10 years as more consumers shift from group travel to FIT, and as air access opens up new wellness destinations such as Vietnam.
“So far, Thailand has successfully positioned itself as a spa destination. It is deeply rooted in Hong Kong travellers’ mind for spas. South Korea may be an option for (services such as cosmetic plastic surgery) but we would not include these treatments as they involve a lot of complicated procedures.”
Meanwhile, Miramar Travel is pushing spa packages to the younger generation. General manager, Alex Lee, said: “The whole market is still not ready for the wellness concept but we observe more groups of young ladies now and they are craving for it. We include spa/massage treatments and choose hotels that are located in downtown shopping areas.” – Prudence Lui
This article was first published in TTG Asia, November 1 – 14, 2013 issue, on page 10. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.
Additional reporting from Rosa Ocampo, Mimi Hudoyo, S Puvaneswary, Prudence Lui
