Impact to Tourism Industry of Massage Spa Therapy in Batangas City, Philippines

This study aimed to assess the benefits of massage spa therapy in tourism industry of Batangas City and their adherence to the standards to DOT on Spa operation and maintenance. The study aimed to identify the profile of massage spa in terms of type of ownership, length of years in the business, type of spa and different spa services offered; to assess the benefits of massage spa to the tourism industry; and to determine the extent of adherence of the massage spa to DOT standards about spa operation and maintenance; and propose a plan of action based on the results of the study. Descriptive method was used in the study. Results showed that the Sole Proprietorship got the highest rank in terms of type of ownership. With the length of years in service, it shows that most of spa business already exists for 4-6 years. Type of spa shows that majority of the spa business were Spa Town. With regards to different spa services, majority offers peat pulp bath and the least is sauna and steam bath. The over-all assessment of the respondents' on the benefits of spa was agree by the result. It was also observed that all items were assessed as agree and it enhances the awareness of the tourists about the beauty of Batangas City. It was followed by provide taxes for the government, became a tourist attraction and improves socio-economic of local residents and improvement on the lifestyle both of the local residents and tourists. I. INTRODUCTION Tourism is a very complex industry encompassing a wide range of economic activities in every tourist destination in the country (Vizconde & Felicen, 2012). Tourism means more jobs for the people and improvement of their standard of living (Buted, et al, 2014). As such, tourism has implications on the economy, on the natural and built environment, on the local population at the destination and on the tourists themselves (Kozak, 2002 as cited in Buted, Menez, Baruc & Borbon, 2014).