Summit shines spotlight on Bali’s skyrocketing spa sector

The Global Spa Summit launched at Nusa Dua on Sunday offers a golden chance for Bali to expand its flourishing spa industry.

Local spa operators are expected to exchange up-to-date knowledge and insights with global spa industry players.

As a more mature tourism and spa market, Bali is a place where world-renowned, centuries-old spa and wellness traditions exist alongside numerous state-of-the-art luxury spa resorts that can be further improved.

“This is a very influential event involving the global stakeholders of the spa industry worldwide. Indonesia, especially Bali, will definitely be a good example for spas, considering its long history in traditional and herbal medicines,” Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said at the event on Monday.

During the summit, which has the theme “Engage the Change: The Customer, The Money, The Future”, spa and wellness industry executives gathered in Bali to explore the emerging spa market and investment opportunities, as well as hospitality and tourism models from across the Asia-Pacific region, the world’s fastest-growing hotel and spa economy.

Jero said that Indonesia was serious in developing its spa industry and the sector had a great potential to contribute to tourism and to create job opportunities.

Sapta Nirwandar, the ministry’s director general of tourism marketing, said “spas have now become an inseparable part of tourism. The industry has seen rapid growth, thanks to the island’s potential market.”

Summit co-chair Jeff Matthews said the industry in Indonesia continued to grow.

“Indonesia was the first country in Southeast Asia to develop the spa industry as modern business. Worldwide, this industry has a total turnover of US$260 billion,” he said.

Spas have become one of the main tourist activities in Bali, as thousands of spas are now available in the resort island to cater to customers from all over the world.

Bali has turned into an attractive destination for spas, thanks to its natural landscape, abundant local ingredients for spa products, and the skills and hospitality of local therapists.

The island has been chosen as the best spa destination by a survey conducted by a international magazine in 2009 and also received the Asia Spa Capital Award in 2008 and 2010.

Local spa businesses also offer outdoor spas featuring “back to nature” concepts, such as treatments by the sea, in the middle of rice fields and even by rivers.

The summit also featured as keynote speakers jewelry designer and the founder of Green School Bali, John Hardy, as well as Emmanuelle Linard, executive director of Edelkoort Inc. USA, a company forecasting consumer attitudes, lifestyles and design trends.

Hardy’s keynote address, “Bamboo, a Sustainable Spa at Last!”, delved into cutting-edge concepts in sustainability and design for the spa and wellness industries.

The Canadian-born Hardy is globally recognized as a visionary in concepts of sustainable living and design.