We're fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with a leading Asia-based Spa & Wellness advocate, Andrew Jacka. As Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition, President of the Thai Spa Association and the Director of Spa Origins, he is a valuable industry resource who has able to spend a bit of time with Wellness Today.

[WT] Asia Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition (APSWC) is a non-profit organization that supports spa & wellness associations in Asia-Pacific. How does APSWC benefit the regional industry as a whole?

The Asia-Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition (APSWC) was formed in March ’06 – the result of an informal roundtable where 76 industry professionals from across the region gathered in Singapore to map out a development strategy to improve and promote the spa industry for the benefit of all. The roundtable was initiated by the heads of spa associations with a view to bringing the region together; to identify common problems and opportunities, and find ways to improve the business for all. APSWC was officially registered as an association in Singapore in July 2007, with the mission: to act as a bridging mechanism between countries to promote, protect, educate, and develop the spa & wellness industry in the Asia-Pacific region.

Since its launch, the Asia-Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition (APSWC) has grown in size and reputation and now unites 16 associations across 14 countries, with a network extending around the globe. It is a regional body which links the national spa associations of the Asia-Pacific nations. The Coalition (formerly Council) was formed to meet the challenges presented by the evolution and growth of the Asian Pacific spa industry. In addition to gathering and communicating market information and resources, APSWC's planned activities for the region include: identifying and recommending appropriate standards, training resources, and performance benchmarks and establishing a code and best practices format to be adopted throughout the region.

Working across a multitude of time zones, with language and cultural issues, and spa industries in varying stages of growth and development, has been a distinct challenge. The regional spa industry events that enabled board members to meet regularly in the early years have all but dissipated, making it even more difficult to maintain the momentum of the coalition. The initial five task forces of People, Products, Planet, Profit and Professionalization has grown to include Traditional Therapies, but the global challenges of recent years has taken its toll, and these are not currently as active as anticipated, however with a planned revamp of our website to make it more interactive my mid 2012, together with the employment of a Secretariat, the coalition will be introducing a paid membership scheme, and will be reviewing its structural and strategic focus as we move forward in an ever changing world.

In 2011, together with our strategic research partner, Intelligent Spas, the APSWC initiated the first ever regional research across all 42 Asia Pacific Countries. The full media release of this report can be viewed

at:http://www.intelligentspas.com/MediaReleases/News_Release_Regional_Spa_Industry_Report_Asia_Pacific_Apr_2011.asp.

The report will be expanded in 2013 with more details, and will include research on the Indian spa market also.

The primary focus of the APSWC in keeping with our mission is our Strategic Planning Forum. This ‘by invitation only’ event has been held annually (except in 2012), with delegates from over 20 countries attending to collectively establish a strategic plan for our regional industry.

     1st APSWC Spa Forum - Bali, 2007
     2nd APSWC Spa Forum – Kuala Lumpur, 2008
     3rd APSWC Spa Forum - Bangkok, 2009
     4th APSWC Spa Forum – Bangkok, 2010
     5th APSWC Spa Forum – Phuket, 2011
     6th APSWC Spa Forum – planned for Bangkok, March, 2013

The APSWC has also conducted Spa Study Tours, organizing and escorting 20 spa industry professionals to Nepal in 2009 and more than 30 to Bhutan in 2011. The frequency of these study tours is expected to increase from 2012 as we seek to outsource the planning of these to a strategic partner.

The APSWC has been nominated by the AsiaSpa Awards Committee for Spa Association of Year for the past six years, taking out the award in 2006, 2009 and 2010.

[WT] The spa & wellness industry has experienced significant growth in recent years. Can the industry sustain similar growth in the coming years?

We have already seen a slowing on growth in the mature spa markets, such as Philippines, Thailand & Singapore, but this is only to be expected. Industry growth rates of over 20% annually while to be expected for any new industry that is expanding rapidly, are not stainable in the long term, as saturation or near saturation points are reached. Having said this, there are countries in Asia Pacific (Myanmar, Brunei, Palau etc.), and other parts of the world (i.e. Africa), where spa is still a relatively new phenomenon, and therefore there is plenty of opportunity for growth, or even the development of a unique spa culture in these countries, instead of the ‘International spa culture’, which most countries have adopted. For those that seek to explore the historical basis of their health and wellness traditions, and who are able to ethically incorporate or adopt these into the local spa industry, will be able to continue to enjoy significant growth rates for years to come. Having said this, obviously growth in developing countries for a (healthcare) industry that is still seen as ‘luxury indulgence’ is going to be slow unless it can market itself as a little more ‘mainstream’.

Ultimately there is always the opportunity for any entrepreneur who is providing something different to the market place, and with continued promotion of education, standards and innovation within the existing industry, there continues the opportunity for growth, but not at the rate of years past.

[WT] Are there certain high-growth markets to watch?

In the Asia Pacific region, China and India are definite growth markets, especially China, where there is a strong traditional massage and health care industry, you can reasonably expect a unique Chinese spa concept to emerge in the coming years. Presently new spas in China being operated in hotels are following the international spa model, so will be interesting to see if there really is the development of a Chinese spa concept, of if the industry takes the easy road. Similar opportunities exist in India, where Ayurveda has been exploited by the global spa industry. Reality is coming into play and the understanding that Ayurveda is much more than stream of oil on your forehead or oiling massage – there is a deeper understanding that needs to be reached to appreciate the culture, heritage, knowledge and intuition that this healthcare regime embodies. Therefore development of an Ayurvedic free Indian spa culture as a support for a long established Ayurvedic industry is also a possibility. Other smaller countries, such as Brunei, Myanmar will reasonably see high growth in the coming year, but with small populations, will probably be not be considered serious players in the global spa industry. The strong interest out of Africa (especially Kenya) is likely to continue, with the Caribbean being a bit of a dark horse in the race for industry dominance. Their “world’s largest spa” tourism campaign is sure to turn a few heads.

[WT] What are the current trends in the industry?

Trends are often talked about, but when you look back they are usually the same subject, just remarket to be ‘new’. The consumers are becoming more educated, and spa operators have to become more educated also. Some consumers are starting to ask questions about the scientific basis of treatments – is there are real health benefit or is it all about the ‘placebo’ effect? The world of natural and organic, still a consumers nightmare of poor labeling, deceitful marketers and blatantly wrong information will change, as consumers start to question what is the product that is being applied to their skin “to absorb”, with the desire to indigenous or ‘everything local’ also remains strong. Over all of this, the biggest trend (not only in the spa industry) is the development of consciousness of environmental issues.

[WT] There have been a areas that have been successful in promoting wellness tourism. Thailand and Bali come to mind. Are there other markets that have been successful promoting inbound spa wellness tourism? 

For medical tourism, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are big players in the region, but it is only Thailand and Bali that have expanded this into the wellness tourism sector – primarily due to their strong traditional health care practices, warm sunny climate and high level of hospitality, that give them a marketing edge.

[WT] Who can join APSWC?

Currently only spa & wellness industry associations are able to join (free of charge), but we are seeking to establish a paid membership platform shortly and open it up to companies and individuals that wish to join. Interested persons can register for FUSE our free quarterly enews athttp://www.apswc.org/malinglist.htm with other marketing and membership features being expanded once we have relaunched our website.

[WT] What is the point of contact for those who are interested in further information about APSWC?

For more information about the APSWC, you can submit your enquiry via the APSWC website (www.apswc.org), or you can send an email direct to info@apswc.org or secretary@apswc.org or chairman@apswc.org and if we cannot answer the query, we will forward to one of our colleagues who can.

* Wellness Today would like to thank Andrew Jacka for his valuable input into this story.