Spa market in Cebu saturated

CEBU CITY – Metropolitan Cebu no longer has room for new spa operators as the local wellness industry has long been saturated, an official from the Spa and Wellness Association of Cebu said.

“Cebu’s spa industry can no longer take in new players. Already, the industry has seen more spas closing shop,” Swac President Johnie Lim lamented.

Lim said the oversupply of spas has triggered slow growth for the sector, and industry players project a zero growth rate this year.

However, Lim said Swac, a group of 35 spa operators in Cebu, remains unfazed by news that several players have already folded up due to declining revenues and slow market demand.

“Filtering the industry is healthy for us because it takes out uninterested players. It means that only those who survive and have the passion for their work are the ones really interested in the business,” Lim noted.

He advised interested spa investors to “have a long-term perspective of the business” and contribute to the objective of making Cebu a spa destination in the country.

Lim admitted that the saturation of the local industry has resulted to several spas providing “lesser quality” and “diluted” services.

“These lesser quality services are contributing less to the objective of Cebu as a wellness destination,” he said.

Swac, together with the Cebu Health and Wellness Council, has been collaborating in achieving the objective of making Cebu a wellness hub in Southeast Asia by 2011.

Source: MALOU M. MOZO Manila Bulletin