20(a) Provide the name and full description of the community that the applicant is committing to serve

Prototypical answer:

The spa community primarily includes:
- Spa operators, professionals and practitioners
- Spa associations and their members around the world
- Spa products and services manufacturers and distributors

There are about 40,000 spas around the world. There are regional spa associations in Asia, Africa and Europe, a few international spa associations mainly established in the US, and many local and national spa associations around the world. These associations are usually member organizations of which spa operators are members. While sometimes the word “spa” is loosely used for massage parlours and wellness centers, spa associations often have a more robust definition based on licensed spas and centers (where such licensing is required) that must consist of a key element of water treatment, professionally qualified practitioners and proper facilities.

The secondary community generally also includes holistic and personal wellness centers and organizations. While these secondary community organizations do not relate directly to the operation of spas, they nevertheless often overlap with and participate in the spa community and may share certain benefits for the utilization of the .spa domain. Together, the industry is generally called the “spa and wellness” community. In this document, we will use both “spa and wellness community” and “spa community” interchangeably.

The spa community is clearly delineated from the general Internet community at large; is pre-existing, demonstrated by the multitude of international, regional, national and local organizations and associations; and, is a community of considerable size and longevity.

1. Community

There is a strong cohesion among the spa and wellness community beyond a mere commonality of interest. Beyond business interests, the advocacy of the spirit of the spa approach of a therapeutic and holistic mind and body relaxation and revitalization is an important shared philosophy among the spa community. It is also this shared philosophy to life and society that bonds the spa community.

Many of the operators and members of the spa community are passionate about not just its products and services but about the lifestyle.

2. Delineation

The spa community is clearly delineated. The membership of the spa community include licensed spa operators, professional practitioners, spa associations and their members, as well as manufacturer and distributors of spa products and services.

3. Pre-Existing

The spa community has been active for a very long time. The operation of spas date back to medieval times and the use of the word “spa” as a term to refer to any health resort located near natural springs can be dated back at least to 1596 or as early as the 1300s. National and local spa legislatures and associations have been leading the way in the organization of the community since the 18th century. In the recent decades, regional and international organizations have been established.

4. Organized

The spa community is very much organized and has a multitude of international, regional, national and local associations and organizations, all of which carries the word “spa” as an important distinctive element in its name.

The many organizations of the spa and wellness community has been included in #18b 7) Spa & Wellness Community Organisations above.

Many of the organizations are very active and convene events and conferences for its members as well as among different organizations jointly. The following are some of these conferences:

Global Spa & Wellness Summit (http:⁄⁄www.globalspaandwellnesssummit.org)
ISPA Conference & Expo (http:⁄⁄www.experienceispa.com⁄events⁄annual-conference⁄)
Asia Spa & Wellness Festival
Pool & Spa & Bath China

5. Extension

There are about 40,000 spas around the world and many international, regional, national and local spa associations. The membership of the spa community is geographically diverse. With the increasingly health conscious trends around the world, there is a strong growth and revival of the spa as a holistic approach to mind, body and spirit wellness. The community therefore sees no foreseeable end to the continuing development of spas.

6. Size

While there are only 40,000 spas around the world, based on the US industry statistics from the International Spa Association, there are around 19,900 spas in the US, employing 338,600 people, serving about 150 million spa visits, and generating US$12.8 billion of revenue per year. In the Asia Pacific, about 3,500 spas employ around 50,000 people generating over US$2 billion of revenue per year.

These statistics do not include the rapidly growing market in Mainland China. With a culture and tradition of holistic health and massage, there are numerous day spas and up to hundreds of thousands of massage parlours offering services. While reliable statistics are hard to find, according to an expert estimate, there are 40 brand-name spas in China operating more than 75 outlets, with one third in Beijing and another third in Shanghai, and overall 70% in hotels. The room for growth in China, especially with the proliferation of foot spas, will be tremendous.

7. Longevity

According to historians, the word spa has been a generic description of what it means in the present day since at least 1596. The practice of harnessing the curative powers of mineral waters hearkens back to prehistoric times and have continued to be popular around the world, especially in Europe and Japan. With the growing trend towards holistic wellness of the body and mind, the spa approach has experienced a revival in the US, while Mainland China has been readily integrating spas into its cultural traditions of therapeutic massage. The continued popularity in certain cultures and its strong growth in major markets demonstrate that the spa community is of a lasting and non-transient nature.

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