SC5104 Project Presentation

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SC5104 Project Presentation

• On Spas Spa Tourism

By Diane Tay
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Topic

• Initial topic
• Internal tourism

• Current topic
• Spas
• Spa tourism

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Theoretical Framework

• Examining the spa phenomenon within the issues
  of --
• Image construction
• The body
• The beauty myth and the idea of beauty
• Changing conceptions of beauty in different
  societies.
• Consumption culture that is influenced by this
  beauty myth
• Tourism

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Significance of spas

• To possibly account for the surge in the number
  of spas not only in Singapore and in the Asian
  region, but throughout the world in the last
  (approximately) 5 years.
• Increasing number of people visiting spas, and/or
  are going on spa holidays.

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• The main findings of the Spa Industry Survey
  Program conducted in Singapore included
• Spa visits have increased by 16 over the last
  three years.
• During the period from July 2001 to June 2002,
  100,000 international tourists made up a quarter
  of spa visits.
• There are approximately 40 authentic spa
  facilities in Singapore.
• The majority of spas operating in Singapore were
  either day spas or hotel spas.
• 67 of spa visitors were female, 33 male.
• Source Intelligent Spas.com)

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Source ISPA 2003 Spa-Goer Study
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• Spas are part of the cultural practices of
  society, and examining its consumption is one way
  to see how society reproduces itself via
• Class formation
• Reproduction of social action
• Consumption behaviour
• Spa tourism consumption may tell us more about
• Singaporean/middle class tourist
• Leisure
• Consumption
• Holiday

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Issues raised

• Body image
• Aestheticization of the self, related consumption
  culture
• Image construction by the producers of spas
• Spa tourism
• question of authenticity in the production of
  tourism sites/settings.

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Questions Raised

• Is there a relationship between spas, beauty and
  the construction of beauty?
• If so, why is there so much concern about
  aesthetics/beauty in contemporary society?
• Social construction of the notion of spas
• Revitalization
• Internal wellbeing ? improved self image
• Production and reproduction of aesthetics by the
  producers of spas (semiology)
• Images
• Interpretation of such images by consumers, etc

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Methodology

• Quantitative
• gather existing statistical data from relevant
  organizations
• International Spa Association (ISA),
• Spa Association of Singapore (SAS)
• Spore Tourism Board (STB)

• Qualitative
• Preliminary interviewing
• Observation
• Participant observation
• In-depth interviewing

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The End.