Thai wellness earns 670 billion baht; spas await tourists
Hospitals, not spas, are the biggest earners among direct wellness providers, and spa owners say 80% of their customers are foreign.
Thailand's wellness tourism chain counted 92,813 businesses in 2025 and earned an estimated 670 billion baht, according to Ministry of Tourism and Sports data reported by The Nation in October 2025. The spa owners at the centre of that chain had a harder year than the total suggests.
Where the money goes
The ministry splits the 670 billion baht in two. Direct providers, meaning hospitals, clinics, spas and wellness centres, number 28,203 and earn about 220 billion baht. Indirect businesses such as retail, transport and tour services number 64,610 and earn about 450 billion baht.
Among direct providers, hospitals are the top earners, followed by pharmacies, cosmetics and drug makers, tour operators and spas, the Thai Spa Association told The Nation. The ministry expects hotels and resorts, restaurants, hospital activities, air transport and cosmetic manufacturing to grow fastest in 2026.
A hard year for spas
Revenue dipped in the second and third quarters of 2025, when negative coverage kept tourists away, said the association's president, Sunai Wachirawarakarn. He expected a recovery from the fourth quarter of 2025 into early 2026, according to a Nation report republished by Asia News Network. Operators held on.
Even when tourist numbers declined, the number of business operators did not decrease.
New investment paused. About 80% of spa customers are foreign and 20% Thai, and the top three source markets are Malaysia, China and Singapore. A typical Thai spa session costs 200 to 300 baht an hour, which limits what operators can earn per customer.
Demand is recovering slowly. KResearch forecast in November 2025 that international arrivals would reach 34.1 million in 2026, up 4% after a 7% fall in 2025, its release said.
What the global numbers say
The Global Wellness Institute's February 2026 release looks better. Thailand's wellness economy reached 42.7 billion US dollars in 2024, up 10.1% from 2023, making it the 24th largest in the world and ninth in Asia Pacific. Wellness tourism spending rose 36.4% to 14 billion US dollars, ranking 15th globally. Spas grew 18%.
The Institute's figures cover 2024 and use a broader definition than the ministry's, so the two should not be added together.
Plans and a missing measure
The Thai Spa Association has a five-year plan to lift Thailand from ninth to the top five wellness economies in Asia Pacific by 2030, starting in 2026 with partnerships with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, according to Spa Business.
On the government side, the Public Health Ministry presented its medical hub plan at a World Trade Organization forum in Geneva on 16 September 2026, with a target of at least 0.5% of GDP, and cited more than 17,000 Thai massage, spa and wellness establishments, The Nation reported. Hospitals are building their own: BDMS is developing WellEra, a 29 billion baht wellness and residence project in Lumpini due in 2030, its second-quarter 2026 filing says.
One thing no source measures is how much traditional Thai massage gained from its 2019 UNESCO listing. UNESCO describes it as a non-medicinal manual therapy. We found no study that separates a UNESCO effect from the wider recovery after Covid.
Dates to watch: the first Thailand Spa and Wellbeing Awards on 29 October 2026, and the Global Wellness Summit at Angsana Laguna Phuket on 10 to 13 November 2026.
FAQ
How big is Thailand's wellness tourism market?
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports estimates 670 billion baht in 2025 across 92,813 businesses. Spa Business cites 676.6 billion baht from the same ministry study.
Who uses Thai spas?
About 80% of customers are foreign and 20% Thai, per the Thai Spa Association. Malaysia, China and Singapore are the top foreign markets.
Where does Thailand rank for wellness?
The Global Wellness Institute ranks it 24th in the world for its wellness economy in 2024 and 15th for wellness tourism.
Sources
- The Nation: Wellness economy in Thailand tops 670 billion baht
- The Nation via Asia News Network: Wellness economy in Thailand
- Global Wellness Institute: Thailand wellness data release, 26 February 2026
- Spa Business: Thai Spa Association strategy to top five in Asia Pacific by 2030
- The Nation: Health ministry outlines medical hub plan at WTO
- KResearch: Thai tourism outlook press release, 21 November 2025
- BDMS: Management discussion and analysis, second quarter 2026
- UNESCO: Nuad Thai, traditional Thai massage
