An Analysis of the Growth Trends and Factors Influencing Wellness Tourism in Thailand over the Past Five Years

Wellness tourism has emerged as one of the most sought-after destinations in Thailand, increasing greatly and gaining considerable attention in the last few years. Despite this fact, the growth of wellness tourism in Thailand has still not been explained fully. Therefore, the present exploratory investigation will examine the specifics of tourism for wellness in Thailand while uncovering the underlying patterns and trends that can be discerned, thereby delivering relevant insights and valuable knowledge to various stakeholders involved in this thriving business. In sum, a total of ten very detailed and well-conducted in-depth interviews were carried out face-to-face, using a thoughtfully prepared combination of open-ended and probing questions. In particular, the concept of the Compound Growth Rate - CGR - model has been described, analyzed and subsequently applied to identify the quantitative growth and relative size of the phenomenon under consideration in the country. Moreover, an in-depth analysis was made about the identification of the major market players and stakeholders participating in the medical, health and welfare tourism industry. Also, challenges and opportunities that may emerge for the health, welfare, and wellness tourism sectors in Thailand were discussed. In concluding, this study gave an input into dynamically interlinked impacts and components of both the demand and supply sides of the healthcare and tourism sectors in Thailand, where decision-making and strategic planning can effectively be grounded.