Thai Spa Association will organize “World Spa & Well-being Convention 2014”, The Biggest Spa & Well-being Event in ASEAN

The Thai Spa Association together with the Department of International Trade Promotion and will organize the World Spa & Well-being Convention 2014 (WSWC2014). The yearly event enters its third round this year but it is the first time for the event to take place simultaneously with Beyond Beauty ASEAN-Bangkok 2014, ASEAN’s trade show of comprehensive health and beauty products. Over 400 brands of worldwide spa products and services will gather in the convention and show off innovative highlights of spa products and services of the year to meet the demands of worldwide people of the new generation who are concerned about their health and to promote Thailand as the spa hub of ASEAN.

(August 26, 2014) Andrew Jacka, Chairman, World Spa & Well-being Convention Organising Committee, says the Thai Spa Association and the Department of International Trade Promotion will organize the World Spa & Well-being Convention 2014 (WSWC2014) as the biggest spa & well-being event of ASEAN with the concept of “by Hand, through Head, with Heart” to promote spa products and services, upgrade the standard of Thai spa business and stimulate interesting innovations in this industry.

The World Spa & Well-being Convention 2014 (WSWC2014) will consist of a trade show as well as World Spa & Well-being Congress (WSWC Congress 2014), Global Wellness Tourism Workshop (GWTW2014), Thailand Hot Spring Forum (THSF2014), Thailand Spa & Well-being Awards (TSWA2014). Over 400 operators in the spa industry will present their product and service innovations. The event is expected to attract 15,000 visitors, 50% higher than the number of visitors to last year’s event. It is also expected to draw more than 400 delegates, especially those from hotels, spas, resorts, beauty and health centers, beauty schools, fitness centers and consultancies among others.

. Worldwide spa markets tend to grow continuously and impressively and the room is quite big for the expansion. Interesting markets are in Africa where countries have just officially introduced their spa markets and have ample opportunities for growth. Myanmar that is a neighboring country of Thailand is also an emerging market. Meanwhile, countries in the Middle East and Europe are suffering from political problems. Tourists from these countries are slowing down and their declining arrivals have impacts on spa business. The recovery of tourism is expected to start in 12 months and new spas should receive a warm welcome from tourists from these

countries again. Islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean are paying attention to spa business and such facilities are mushrooming. They are trying to promote themselves as “the Largest Spa in the World”.

Asia and the Pacific including Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam are emerging spa markets. Resorts and spas in Vietnam will become tough competitors of those in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in a few years. Free trade in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will noticeably accelerate the growth of spa business. However, spa operators must improve their capabilities to cope with competition to guarantee their strong and sustainable growth. They must develop their products and services to meet the ISO Wellness Spa Services Standard and the ASEAN Spa Service Standard.

Krod Rojanastien, President, Thai Spa Association, says Thai spa business has plenty of room for growth because of its uniqueness especially regarding services. Above all, Thai spa operators must prepare themselves for competition that will be growing steadily both locally and internationally, especially in ASEAN. This will happen along with the behaviors of consumers in ASEAN where middle-class people will be growing in number and spending more for their beauty. In the past five years the value of trade in beauty markets in ASEAN member countries expanded by as much as three times. The value of the Thai spa market is likely to grow continuously especially after the formation of the AEC in 2015 due to three main factors. Firstly the number of middle-class people is increasing. Secondly the number of the elderly is rising. People aged more than 60 are expected to number 2 billion and form one-third of the global population in 2050. Thirdly megacities (bigger cities) are spreading worldwide and thus people will increasingly demand natural areas. Health resorts will receive a warmer welcome and anti-aging science will gain considerable momentum.

“World Spa & Well-being Convention 2014 (WSWC2014) is a world-class event and a springboard for stronger networking between Asia and the rest of the world and for Thailand to become the beauty hub of ASEAN especially in the spa business where Thailand is one of the most outstanding players in the world,” Rojanastien said.

Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, Director General, Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce has expressed that currently Thailand has a strategy to develop the country to become a Medical Hub of Asia. This is part of a plan to encourage medical industry to play key role in Thai’s economic. Thai traders especially those in spa industry have very strong potential as well as unique identity and already being accepted in an international market.

As a result, the policy to encourage business and beauty industry in Thailand during the year 2014 will be development and design of spa products, participation in quality training activities by spa operators in Thailand for elevation of their standards as well as expansion into the international market by quality Thai spa products, which has the grand purpose of promoting entrepreneurship by providing a complete platform for the local industry to explore international business expansion is a fine example of this support.

aruwan Suwannasat, Director of Exhibitions and Events Department, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), says “TCEB as a government agency, dedicated to promote Thailand's MICE industry and compete efficiently and effectively in an international arena where exhibitions have played the vital role in country’s economy and industry’s development. This year we witness another milestone of Thailand Exhibition Industry particularly in Beauty Sector. We are pleased to congratulate to Impact Exhibition Management Co., Ltd. for the development of World Spa & Well-Being Convention this year which has been co-located with Beyond Beauty ASEAN-Bangkok 2014. With the partnership between IMPACT Exhibition Management Co., Ltd. and Informa Exhibitions Ple Ltd, one of the world class organizer to making the show a stronger business platform of Beauty and cosmetics industry in ASEAN.

Hence, TCEB, have rendered our support to the organizer with international marketing activities, for example, the business matching at Philippines road show, and the visitor promotion campaign namely “Connect Businesses” for trade group visitors to attend the show and to do business matchmaking on the show floor. Another campaign is “Be my guest” which is buyer appreciation program to attract potential buyer around the globe.

Sirapat Kettarn, Exhibition Project Group Project Manager, IMPACT Exhibition Management Co., Ltd., says more than 400 spa & spa related business operators will present their spa products and services in an area of more than 6,800 square meters. The event will also include activities for operators and parties in this industry. They will include Element Registration that will offer information about researches on materials for spa business, Education Village that will gather worldwide spa gurus who will share their spa-related knowledge through practical activities, Spa Concierge that will allow interested parties to seek advice from world-renowned spa gurus and owners of leading brands, Spa Study Tour that will offer field trips to leading spas of various forms, Business Matching that will be a forum for spa business negotiations, and Thailand Spa & Well-being Awards that will certify Thai spa excellence in 20 categories.

This year the World Spa & Well-being Convention will be organized along with Beyond Beauty Asean – Bangkok: Your Gateway to the South East Asia Beauty Market. Consequently they will for the biggest ground of beauty products and services of ASEAN and the second biggest of its kind in Asia after such an event in China. The combined event in Thailand will gather over 400 brands of beauty products and services from around the world. The products and services will fall into the four categories of 1) beauty products and cosmetics, 2) comprehensive spa and health products and services, 3) herbs and health products and 4) hair and nail care products.

World Spa & Well-being Convention 2014 will take place together with Beyond Beauty Asean–Bangkok 2014 in a combined area of over 20,000 square meters in the Challenger 1 of IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center, Muang Thong Thani between 10am and 6pm from September 18 to 20, 2014.

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