Asia is the fastest growing spa market in the world. That was a consensus in the first Global Spa Summit held in the internationally acclaimed tourist destination Bali, Indonesia in mid of May. The Global Spa Summit was attended by more than 275 delegates from all over the world. Of that, 39 per cent hailed from Asia.

Having the world’s largest population and benefits of thriving economy, China was rightly put on the top position of a list of countries that would be expected to enjoy marvelous growth in the spa industry and leading operators of body care salon would be pleased to capitalize on the Chinese people’s tendency to wellness. It is pertinent to note that in the same moot it was predicted that preventive medicines that come under the spa industry would grow up 44 per cent.

In view of the above-mentioned figures jointly corroborated by industrial representatives, it can conclusively be construed that anti-ageing and wellbeing market stands or will soon stand at par with the tourism industry. Hospitality and leisure industry is complementing tourism in several tourist destinations as spa is a service most sought after by the tourists. For many South East Asian countries, tourism is the main economic sector creating employments and driving economic activities. Interestingly, spa industry had outshone other entertainment sources in terms of revenues many years ago.  

In a book titled ‘understanding the global spa industry’, authors Marc Cohen and Gerard Bodeker underscore that body care salon and spa industry’s revenue has well surpassed that from ski resort sales, box office receipts, and amusement parks. 

Online booking of spa services and medicinal purchases are on the rise because of the ease one may feel in them before actually relishing massage. From the comfort of home, people prefer to reserve seats in body care salon through internet-enabled desktop or smartphone. 

It has been found that group buying sites have become veritable agents of growth of the spa industry. Operational under the business model of group buying—the offshoot of an age-old Chinese team buying concept, Tuangou—these sites in collaboration with merchants offer spa and various other products to the customers on discounts. Called spa deals, the offers obviously provide customers with the attractive price advantages.

Still, there is lying huge potential to be jointly explored by masseurs and daily deal websites. Online shoppers would love to make purchases and collect vouchers or coupons in group because of the discounts they get in return of popping for fantastic goods or exciting services. Group buying has shaped in to near four billion US dollar industry.

Global Spa Summit revealed a flabbergasting fact regarding the current state of alliance of group buying sites and spa providers. Around 58 per cent of the participants in the summit said they didn’t formulate specials in collaboration with daily deal sites. Notably, 37 per cent of them said group buying sites hopped up their businesses. Fifty-seven percent also believed on the power of social networking sites in increasing sales.