Spa, already a big business, is getting bigger, according to figures from the Global Wellness Tourism Congress (GWTC) released at ITB Berlin on March 7. The research, done by SRI International for the GWTC, assesses the global wellness tourism market at $439 billion, with 77 percent of all expenditures coming from tourists originating in Europe (36 percent) and North America (41 percent). On the product side, spas have evolved rapidly from the curative spa to the destination spa of today. As destination spas continue to evolve their services, their marketing is also evolving.
Increasingly, spa goers are looking for treatments and products in the spa that are authentic expressions of the destination. The following examples from the world of wellness exemplify this trend: one in Italy, one in New Zealand and one in Taipei.
The Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa recently unveiled the Evolu skincare. Created by New Zealand?s Kati Kasza, the line uses natural ingredient such as native ferns, flax and kawakawa (a coastal plant), along with other pure components ranging from New Zealand manuka honey to marine wakame algae.
The eforea spa treatment called Body mud, for instance, uses New Zealand avocado pear oil for its softening and smoothing properties, combined with New Zealand kanuka tree oil, known to be healing and antimicrobial.
Eforea is offering a seasonal special for spa guests until the end of May. The eforea Natural Balance package uses only the new Evolu range. The 90-minute NZ$145 treatment involves three components: Replenish, a total body exfoliation; Rehydrate, where plant-oil therapies are massaged into the skin; and Refresh, an express facial customized to each client?s needs.
The Evolu range will also be used exclusively in the spa?s Escape journey, one of three distinct treatment collections available at eforea. The Escape menu features tailored facials, body wraps, body scrubs and massages with the highlight of the mix being the 90-minute Purifying Body Experience involving a body scrub of native crushed walnut and kiwifruit, a wrap of mineral rich mud and botanical extracts, a scalp massage and a rhythmic full-body massage. That promises to use local cultural practices and wellness rituals.
Hilton Queenstown has three spa and accommodation packages currently available: The Mid-week Spa & Golf offer, The Detox & Purify package, and the indulgent Relax at the Resort deal. The Detox & Purify Package, for example, is priced at NZ$395 a night and includes a 60-minute purifying experience at eforea: spa, with the Rest & Restore Body Wrap; a detox smoothie post treatment in eforea?s transition lounge; a further 15 percent off spa treatments during the stay; overnight accommodation with a fresh local breakfast; a half day bike hire for two, including helmets and Hilton specific Jacks Point riding trail notes; late checkout and daily access to Internet.
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Source: James Ruggia (2014). Relaxation Destination: Decadent Destination Spas Seeing Huge Gains, Travel Pulse http://www.travelpulse.com/news/destinations/relaxation-destination-decadent-destination-spas-seeing-huge-gains.html published Apr 01, 2014. Viewed Apr 04, 2014.