Operational Guidelines on Spa Tourism: Business Policy and Sustainability

Abstract

This descriptive research aimed to evaluate the depth of services offered by spa establishments in Region VI and likewise made a comprehensive evaluation in the monitoring of the government policies as to its operation and maintenance that leads to the formulation of a system for compliance of these policies towards spa establishment creating Region VI a world class spa tourism destination. Specifically, it determined the profile of spas in Region VI in terms of: Type of Organization; Type of Business; Services Offered; No. of Years in Business; No. of Employees; No. of Clients/ Month; Average Clients Spending; and Clients Type: the extent of adherence to the standards of Department of Health of spa operation and maintenance across provinces in terms of; Clients Portfolio, Sanitation and Maintenance, Facilities and Amenities, Services and Staff Competency: the issues and concerns that often are experienced by Spa.The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative approaches with the use of various data gathering procedures and instruments such as survey techniques, documentary and interview techniques. The study has 384 respondents composed of owners of spa establishments, employees and clients. The study implemented stratified random sampling method in the administration of the survey instruments. The data quantitative were analyzed  and interpreted using descriptive statistical tool such as mean, standard deviation, frequency distribution, rank tools, and inferential statistics using one way ANOVA. Results revealed that profile of spa and wellness establishments in Region VI in terms of Type of Organization, Type of Business, Services Offered, No. of years in Business, No. of Employees, No. of Clients/ month, Ave. Clients Spending and Clients Type, differs across provinces. Results revealed that the extent of compliance to government policies in terms of Client Folio is “ High ” and staff competency is “Low “. Based from the results the most prevalent issues and concerns that are often experienced by spa establishments in relation to their adherence to standards were management issues (personal conflicts) with prostitution and attitudes towards clients. With these findings the research was able to formulate a system compliance that will create Region VI a world class spa tourism destination.