Thailand wants its hot springs to rival Japanese onsens, but can the new tourism plan work?

CNA

2 days ago

RANONG, Thailand: It is close to dusk and the hot spring baths are near full capacity. Even though the ambient temperature is around 30°C the bathers here are seeking even more heat.
On the edge of downtown Ranong in southern Thailand, a couple dozen elderly residents, families with children and a smattering of foreign tourists are taking a dip in softly steaming warm waters, piped into public pools from a nearby natural spring source.
The facilities at Raksawarin Hot Springs, perched adjacent to a calmly flowing mountain stream, are free to use. And they have become a place for the local community to gather at the end of the day.
'Other places have coffeehouse forums, but we have hot spring forums,' said Somchok Wongwiwattana, the president of the Ranong branch of the Tourism Council of Thailand.
'We talk about everything here, soaking for half an hour, an hour or two hours. It is a spot for exchanging thoughts in the community,' he said.
Ranong, a less-visited province about 300km north of tourism hotspots like Phuket and Krabi, has been promoting itself as a wellness hotspot for several years.
Now, the Thai government is pushing a nationwide policy to position the kingdom as a top-tier wellness destination, with a hefty budget and multi-year strategy to develop infrastructure.
More than just places to chat and soak, it wants hot spring facilities in the mould of Japan's onsen towns to become a major driver of tourism to various corners of the country.
San Kamphaeng Hot Springs in Chiang Mai province was chosen as a pilot project starting in June to show how the policy might work. It is already a popular destination with tourists, attracting close to 400,000 visitors in 2023.
The policy aims to build up the capacity and connectivity of lesser-known hot spring areas too.
Three phases of the master plan have been laid out. Between 2025 and 2027, about US$6 million has been allocated to basic infrastructure and visitor facilities.
The second phase will include US$7.9 million on developing health tourism facilities before a final phase focused on sustainable development and improving local welfare.
A survey by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in 2023 identified 118 hot springs throughout Thailand. They vary in kind and location, from natural areas to urban settings. Others are more rural and isolated, with the majority located in the country's north, while there are 13 located in Ranong.
'Our concept connects hot springs with nearby attractions to create an international Thai hot spring brand and distribute income to secondary cities,' Nattareeya Thaweewong, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, announced in May.
Ranong is one of those secondary cities poised to benefit from a sharper focus on a burgeoning industry.
RANONG: WELLNESS TRAVEL DESTINATION
Raksawarin Hot Springs have deep connections to royalty. While carbon dating suggests the springs are thousands of years old, according to Somchok, they gained prominence during the era of King Rama V, who visited the area during the late 19th century.
They have a cultural and social importance that persists to this day. Locals believe the springs provide a wealth of health benefits.
'It's considered holy water and is used to treat illnesses. It's truly the belief and lifestyle of Ranong people,' Somchok said.
Kwanta Kaveekarnjanawat is a regular user of the springs. She said that her trigger finger condition - a common tendon injury - which doctors told her required surgery, has markedly improved since she started soaking.
'In the past, I couldn't even wear a ring,' she told CNA, while sitting in the warm waters.
'My finger was numb. I came to soak in the hot spring and now I don't need any surgery. It isn't aching. It's fully healed,' she said.
The benefits of the mineral-rich waters are not imagined; they are part of specialised care at the city's hospital.
The hot spring water in Ranong contains silica, sodium, magnesium and sulphate, which when absorbed by the body, is useful for the skin, bones, muscles and joints, said Siriwat Thunyasiripong, the deputy director of the medical department at Ranong Hospital.
In 2018, the hospital launched a hydrotherapy health centre, directly connected to hot spring waters.
It has multiple facilities for residents with mobility issues and offers treatment programmes under the supervision of orthopaedic specialists, physical therapists and sports medicine experts.
The centre resembles a small indoor pool. Mostly elderly visitors do passive exercise in the hot water or use specialised machines to assist their movement or rehabilitation from injury.
The hospital has larger ambitions and a budget ready to spend. By 2027, it plans to open a more modern wellness centre opposite the hospital, with the aim of attracting medical and leisure tourists from Thailand and the region.
'No other place is like Ranong. We have opportunities for this. It will help us to be able to promote the economy and promote health,' Siriwat said.
TOURISM KICKSTARTERS?
Despite the long, steeped history of Ranong's natural spring resources, the wellness industry here has struggled to make international inroads.
The province has struggled to rebound its overall tourism numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, it attracted only 51,432 international tourists, a notable decline from the 282,322 in 2019.
Ranong had the eighth-lowest gross provincial product (GPP) output in the entire country in 2021. It was also in the top 10 for provinces with the highest poverty levels in 2022, according to the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council.
The province has suffered from a lack of investment in recent decades. Old industries like forestry and mining have been phased out and tourism has been vastly outstripped by nearby southern hotspots.
Phuket drew about 8.4 million foreign tourists in 2023, while Krabi welcomed over 3.4 million international visitors.
Ranong tourism and business officials see wellness trails, with a focus on its hot spring resources, as a way to connect it to its more popular provincial neighbours.
The TAT strategy includes plans to develop seven hot spring routes across the country. An 'Andaman Wellness Corridor' could viably link springs in Krabi, Ranong, Phang‑Nga, Trang and Satun - all provinces in the south.
Somchok said tourism officials would also like to better market Ranong as a place to relax and recuperate after more strenuous adventure activities nearby.
The province is also supposed to be the starting point of the proposed Thailand Land Bridge project, a contentious project that could see shipping trade bypass Singapore and Malaysia by connecting the Andaman Sea with the Gulf of Thailand.
Local industry groups, while generally wary about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed megaproject, say it could give an economic and connectivity boost to the wellness tourism strategy.
Two deep sea ports would be built in Ranong and Chumphon provinces and be linked by 90km of highways, railways and pipelines across the Kra Isthmus - the narrowest section of the Malay peninsula.
The first phase of the land bridge project was initially projected to finish by 2030, with the final completion targeted in 2039.
However, the project is far from certain to be built and has faced political hurdles, local resistance and uncertainties around the sources of investment for the US$36 billion plan.
'When big investors come, it will attract international tourists … to visit Ranong. There will be more airlines because businesspeople will fly here. Their travels here will make tourism more flexible. It will come in all the same pipe,' said Sonchai Uitekkeng, the vice president of the Ranong Provincial Chamber of Commerce.
Somchok said more infrastructure would help tourism but worried about developing too quickly.
'If a lot more people come, we can't cater (to them),' he said.
It comes as Thailand looks to recalibrate its tourism goals as it struggles to regain international visitor numbers, which peaked in 2019.
With its international tourism industry dipping, Thailand is now doubling down on a 'quality over quantity' gameplan, with a focus on higher-spending visitors.
LEARNING FROM JAPAN
Thailand is leaning on expertise in Japan to help it develop its hot spring industry.
Japan's industry is far more advanced - onsen tourism has a history of at least 1,300 years - and is ingrained into both local culture and tourism practices.
As of March last year, it had approximately 27,920 hot spring sources and the industry had an estimated value of US$9.22 billion in 2020, according to data from Statista.
It is the type of lucrative business Thailand is eyeing. Early this year, Thai authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture to discuss economic cooperation and the sharing of knowledge.
While that know-how could be important, Ranong stakeholders are adamant that Thailand needs to develop its own identity and not simply replicate an industry it wants to compete with.
'There are differences. Sometimes, we need to be different from Japan,' Sonchai said.
Somchok also said peripheral services needed to improve at the same time, like roads and airlines, in order to better match Japan's offerings.
Private businesses also play a role. While they would not directly benefit from the government's spending and campaign, there are already signs that interest is growing in higher-end onsen services.
Phatcharawadee Wongnamroj, the owner of Namnong Hot Spa, said she is excited about the entire industry potentially being boosted by the policy.
Her facility resembles a Japanese onsen. It has windows open to greenery, a cool breeze and the aroma of light rain sweeps over steeped pools.
A distinct difference from an onsen in the mountains of Japan is the temperature. Phatcharawadee acknowledges the mental barrier that initially might exist for people not wanting to bathe in hot water when Thailand's climate is so warm.
It might explain why the culture of hot springs has not taken off, she said, though this should not be a barrier to relaxing and enjoying the benefits of the spa.
'Actually, soaking in hot water sounds scary. But, in fact, at the end of the soaking process, you will feel refreshed. You will feel that 'oh, I should have come to soak a long time ago',' she said.
She has observed that younger people interested in wellness are increasingly wanting to try hot spring bathing too, in natural water close to its source.