| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 26/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 51 |
| Copyright: Other |
SPA
HOLIDAYS
Spa holidays are ridding themselves of their older, wealthy lady image and are now attracting a growing number of younger clients.
In days gone by it used to be well-to-do elderly ladies who visited spas, usually in order to ease their rheumatism or arthritis in the thermal waters and mud baths.But times have changed, and today the typical client at a spa resort is more likely to be a thirtysomething career woman taking time out of a busy schedule than a wealthy older lady on her last legs.
The market for spa holidays is growing at a phenomenal rate, and the greatest growth is in the 20 to 50-year-old age group, who are looking to detox and de-stress, rather than to cure an ongoing ailment.
Spa holiday specialist Thermalia Travel managing director Miro Sajfert said this market was growing at 40% a year, compared to the older market which is increasing at a rate of only 10% per annum.
“Our clients are younger than they used to be,” said Sajfert. “In the past 18 months we have seen a huge increase in the number of thirtysomething women.”
Rival spa holiday specialist Erna Low spokeswoman, Amanda Moss, agreed that the emphasis these days is on stress busting rather than treating ailments.
“The trend is towards younger people interested in looking after themselves,” she said. “The majority of clients are no longer OAPs but thirtysomethings who are going to take time out and relax.”
As clients are getting younger they are travelling further. Although spa resorts in Northern Europe are popular with those wanting to make a quick getaway, those with more time are going further afield.
In particular, resorts in the Far East, including India, Thailand and Bali, where many spa treatments originated, are attracting more and more British clients.
Erna Low has added at least 12 new spa resorts to its latest Worldwide programme, including some in Bali and Lombok, India, Jordan and even Cape Town in South Africa, plus several closer to home such as Germany, Austria, France and Italy.
“France and Italy are still the most popular destinations, because most people travel by themselves. This is not their main holiday, and so they don’t want to go too far,” said Moss. “Portugal and Malta are also very popular because of the good weather.”
It seems that almost every mid-to-upmarket hotel in the world is jumping on the healthy lifestyle bandwagon by adding health and beauty facilities, and marketing themselves as ‘spa resorts’. Technically speaking this is incorrect as only those with mineral springs or hot thermal baths can claim to be true spas.
Several spa hotels have also begun to accept children, having recognised that not all clients are able to leave their kids behind when they want to take a break.
The Movenpick Resort and Spa in Jordan, which is featured by Thermalia and has just been added by Erna Low, is one hotel that has a kids club. Moss said this did not disrupt the peace and quiet its guests wanted.
“Although some hotels do take children, they are not usually allowed in the spa area so clients are not disturbed,” she said.
The Ritz-Carlton has gone one step further at its hotel in Dubai, where its kids club has just launched a package of treatments for youngsters. These include a manicure and a clothed massage.
Chill out:younger clients tend to want to relax rather than treat ailments