The spa industry has been one of the most successful attractions having the potential to be a luc... more The spa industry has been one of the most successful attractions having the potential to be a lucrative sector in the future and is expected to make the tourism industry the main fifth revenue earner for Malaysia by the year 2020. The Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC) in Malaysia has set up a Transformation Plan 2020 to achieve 36 million tourist arrival and aim to receive RM168 billion by the year 2020. MOTAC also predicted the spa industry will provide about 3,540 jobs by 2020. In Malaysia, this industry is still in its infancy stage but being one of the emerging industries globally, has huge setbacks which need to be given attention to. However, the wrong impression about the image of the spa industry is the main problem faced by the spa operators. The general perception of the public tends to think that this industry is comparable to a prostitution joint. If MOTAC intends to make the spa industry as the fifth income earner for the country, a study to change the local community perception about the image of the spa and to encourage them to visit and work in the spa is of high importance. This research has explored the perceptions of the local community towards the image of the spa in Malaysia with Sabah in particular. As this is an exploratory research, qualitative method is used for this study. The result of the research suggests that there is dynamic change in the perception towards the image of the spa industry in Sabah from mainly negative to mainly positive.
There is a potential of growth in the spa industry due to the influx of domestic and internationa... more There is a potential of growth in the spa industry due to the influx of domestic and international tourist coming to Sabah, Malaysia. It is a good opportunity to venture into this industry for the country’s economic future growth, and therefore, it is essential for this area to be researched. Being one of the fastest growing industries in the world, has led to enormous challenges, which need to be addressed. Malaysia is also riding with this phenomenon. The President of the Malaysian Association of Wellness and Spa stated that the misconception about the Spa industry’s image, especially amongst the elderly is the biggest challenge faced by the industry, as they perceived the spa industry is equivalent to a prostitution center. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the issue by analyzing whether image can be added in the theory of planned behavior to better understand the consumer’s intention to visit, in the spa context. The Theory of Planned Behavior by Ajzen, a theory or model in predicting intention, has three constructs; such as Attitude as the first construct, the second construct is Subjective Norm and the third construct is Perceived Behavioral Control. Qualitative research is used as this is an exploratory research. The site of study will be at Jari Jari Spa, located in Kota Kinabalu, the only spa in Sabah that was awarded as the Center of Excellence (CoE) by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture in Malaysia. The findings propose to provide useful information to the relevant stakeholders on ways to approach local customers to convince them to visit the spa and for spa marketers to help them develop and design effective marketing strategies. Future investigation should consider more on the perception and loyalty of the local customers.
The spa industry has been one of the most successful attractions having the potential to be a luc... more The spa industry has been one of the most successful attractions having the potential to be a lucrative sector in the future and is expected to make the tourism industry the main fifth revenue earner for Malaysia by the year 2020. The Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC) in Malaysia has set up a Transformation Plan 2020 to achieve 36 million tourist arrival and aim to receive RM168 billion by the year 2020. MOTAC also predicted the spa industry will provide about 3,540 jobs by 2020. In Malaysia, this industry is still in its infancy stage but being one of the emerging industries globally, has huge setbacks which need to be given attention to. However, the wrong impression about the image of the spa industry is the main problem faced by the spa operators. The general perception of the public tends to think that this industry is comparable to a prostitution joint. If MOTAC intends to make the spa industry as the fifth income earner for the country, a study to change the local community perception about the image of the spa and to encourage them to visit and work in the spa is of high importance. This research has explored the perceptions of the local community towards the image of the spa in Malaysia with Sabah in particular. As this is an exploratory research, qualitative method is used for this study. The result of the research suggests that there is dynamic change in the perception towards the image of the spa industry in Sabah from mainly negative to mainly positive.
There is a potential of growth in the spa industry due to the influx of domestic and internationa... more There is a potential of growth in the spa industry due to the influx of domestic and international tourist coming to Sabah, Malaysia. It is a good opportunity to venture into this industry for the country’s economic future growth, and therefore, it is essential for this area to be researched. Being one of the fastest growing industries in the world, has led to enormous challenges, which need to be addressed. Malaysia is also riding with this phenomenon. The President of the Malaysian Association of Wellness and Spa stated that the misconception about the Spa industry’s image, especially amongst the elderly is the biggest challenge faced by the industry, as they perceived the spa industry is equivalent to a prostitution center. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the issue by analyzing whether image can be added in the theory of planned behavior to better understand the consumer’s intention to visit, in the spa context. The Theory of Planned Behavior by Ajzen, a theory or model in predicting intention, has three constructs; such as Attitude as the first construct, the second construct is Subjective Norm and the third construct is Perceived Behavioral Control. Qualitative research is used as this is an exploratory research. The site of study will be at Jari Jari Spa, located in Kota Kinabalu, the only spa in Sabah that was awarded as the Center of Excellence (CoE) by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture in Malaysia. The findings propose to provide useful information to the relevant stakeholders on ways to approach local customers to convince them to visit the spa and for spa marketers to help them develop and design effective marketing strategies. Future investigation should consider more on the perception and loyalty of the local customers.
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Papers by Felsy J. Sandi