Amatara Spa Resort offers a morning yoga class for clients.

Amatara Wellness Resort Phuket is looking to invest at home and abroad to take advantage of growth in the wellness industry.

Resort director Prattana Punnakitikashem said it will finalise a new project by the second quarter after concluding a feasibility study.

She said new investment could take place domestically or abroad. The development is likely to be a mixture of a hotel and wellness centre, similar to the property in Phuket.

"Wellness tourism will continue to grow," Ms Prattana said. "Many foreigners come to Thailand to receive treatment because of competitive prices and Thai hospitality."

The Public Health Ministry and the Tourism and Sports Ministry have both put health tourism operations on the national agenda. This is the first step for the country to hammer out development strategies to establish Thailand as an international health hub over the next decade.

To achieve that goal, tourism authorities are positioning and developing Thailand as a high-quality destination. The programme encompasses the development of products and services focusing on wellness tourism and the development of logistics for tourism.

The Economic Intelligence Center of Siam Commercial Bank reported that wellness tourism in Thailand grew by 7% annually during 2013-15.

The market value of the industry was high at 320 billion baht in 2015, making Thailand the 13th-biggest player in the global market and fourth in Asia after China, Japan and India.

Meanwhile, the Global Wellness Institute said the beauty and anti-ageing segment accounts for 26% of the global medical and wellness industry.

Worldwide, the industry is projected to expand from 19 trillion baht in 2015 to 27 trillion in 2020, representing average annual growth of 7% during 2015-20. That growth reflects new forms of business related to wellness tourism.

To capitalise on the trend, Amatara Wellness Resort Phuket from March plans to offer a five-day, four-night inclusive wellness package starting at 110,000 baht per person.

The package includes accommodation, individual wellness consultation, healthy meals, selected treatments and activities, Vitallife Wellness Center's Holistic Vitality blood testing, doctor consultations and personalised supplements and vitamins for guests.