The Research Quality Analysis of Wellness Tourism in Spa Business in Thailand

Abstract

     Through a preliminary analysis of research work regarding spa business studies, it has been found that there are several research quality issues for discussion, despite of double-blind review. This research article’s objectives, therefore, are to 1) explore general information of spa related studies during the past decade in Thailand and 2) analyze the research quality of wellness tourism in spa business to reflect on the weaknesses of past studies for further research improvement. The study is conducted by collecting TCI articles published during the past decade (2013-2022), and employs a two-dimension assessment (clarity and suitability) to analyze the data. Content analysis and descriptive statistics are used to interpret the data in terms of frequency and percentage.

           According to the study, first, it is found that during the past decade there are a total of 124 studies in regard to spa business. Among them, 59% are quantitative studies, 29% are qualitative studies and 12% are mixed-research approaches. The top five topics are, namely, spa administration & management, spa marketing, consumer behavior, customer opinions/ perceptions, and service quality. Second, in regard to the assessment of research quality, most scholars present their research articles with relatively clear and suitable information. However, there are a number of studies having some quality issues, covering from unclear objectives to unsuitable research recommendations. The current study, therefore, has provided useful advice for future research improvement in the field of tourism.