Health & Wellness Tourism in the United Kingdom
Dissertation Writing Help in Health and Wellness Tourism in UK
Dissertation Writing Help in Health and Wellness Tourism in UK
Headlines
·
Turnover in 2007 grew by 15% to
£510 million from £444 million in 2006
·
Growth was a little stronger
(16.4%) at hotel/resort spas than at destination and other spas
·
There were 2.5 million spa
visitors in 2007, of whom 80% were on domestic trips
·
Overall, sales are expected to
continue growing but at a slower rate, attaining a value of £638 million by
2012
Trends
·
The number of spa hotels is
increasing, with some mainstream hotels undergoing refurbishment in order to
accommodate spas. For example, the Mayfair Hotel in London’s West End underwent
a £75 million refurbishment programme towards the end of the review period and
acquired a collection of treatment rooms, wet and relaxation areas and gym,
with an Asian-inspired décor.
·
Hotel/resort spas generally
grew more rapidly than destination and other spas during the review period. In
terms of overall investment, hotel spas take on less risk, as the spa function
is part of a portfolio of services offered by the hotel. In addition, a wide
range of treatments are offered for consumers to choose from at hotel spas and
hence customers are not committed to significant expenditure on treatments
during their stay.
·
The UK is not a major spa
destination in its own right, unlike some countries in central Europe. However,
there was a steady increase in the volume and proportion of inbound visitors
whose primary motive for visiting was spa treatments. In 2007, around 470,000
visitors arrived in the UK for this purpose or slightly over 1% of all inbound
arrivals.
·
Domestic spa tourism is rather
more robust. Domestic spa trips reached 2.1 million in 2007, with slight growth
from 2006. This figure also excludes day trips, which is an important area of
spa tourism.
·
The growth of health and
wellness tourism abroad was driven by growth in self-pay patients, with the
number of uninsured people receiving private health treatment estimated at
225,000 in early-2007. Growth was also supported by a double digit year-on-year
growth in demand for cosmetic surgery and the fact that around half of UK
adults are not registered with an NHS dentist. The number of UK residents
seeking treatment abroad is estimated to be growing at a rate of 25% per annum.
·
Spa treatments were
traditionally a preferred choice for women. However, according to Eden Hall Spa
Resort, by 2007 almost 50% of its clientele was male. Moreover, the survey
indicates that the number of men visiting the spa tripled compared to numbers
in the late-1990s. Spas are no longer seen as exclusively for women and men are
increasingly demanding specialised services. There is therefore a requirement
to develop strategies for spa tourism targeting male customers.
Prospects
·
The number of hotel/resort spa
outlets is forecast to grow strongly from 308 in 2007 to 394 by 2012, with an
increase of 28% on current numbers. In order to attract customers, it is likely
that prices will not rise substantially over the forecast period in order to
maintain cost-conscious visitors.
·
Hotel/resort spa is forecast to
see the strongest growth during the forecast period. If the economy continues
to deteriorate into 2008, spa customers are less likely to commit to an
expensive week-long course and will instead take treatments selectively or just
engage in day trips to destination spas. Many spas already offer membership
options which make treatments more cost-effective.
Sector Data
outlets
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
- Hotel/resort spas 230 235 247 254 268 308
Source: Euromonitor
International
£ million
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Spas 363.0 387.4 407.0 421.7 443.5 510.1
- Hotel/resort spas 207.0 227.0 242.0 251.7 267.1 310.9
- Destination spas 124.0 125.4 128.0 130.0 135.3 152.4
- Other spas 32.0 35.0 37.0 40.0 41.1 46.8
Other health & wellness - - - - - -
tourism
Health & wellness tourism 363.0 387.4 407.0 421.7 443.5 510.1
Source: Euromonitor
International
'000 trips
2005 2006 2007
Spa (domestic tourism) 1,808.9 2,036.0 2,097.0
Non-spa (domestic tourism) 140,551.1 124,254.0 114,088.9
Total 142,360.0 126,290.0 116,185.9
Source: Euromonitor
International
'000 people
2005 2006 2007
Spa (arrivals) 394.0 433.4 472.4
Non-spa (arrivals) 29,931.0 32,280.5 33,702.6
Total 30,325.0 32,713.9 34,175.0
Source: Euromonitor
International
£ million
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Spas 510.1 548.2 575.7 600.1 618.3 638.1
- Hotel/resort spas 310.9 337.8 358.2 377.2 391.9 408.0
- Destination spas 152.4 160.7 166.0 169.9 172.4 175.3
- Other spas 46.8 49.7 51.6 53.0 54.0 54.8
Other health & wellness - - - - - -
tourism
Health & wellness tourism 510.1 548.2 575.7 600.1 618.3 638.1
Source: Euromonitor
International
