Bath’s Thermae Bath Spa contributes more than £14.6m a year into the city’s economy, according to new figures.
Since it opened in August 2006 the total additional spend from visitors to the spa has added an estimated £75m to the city’s coffers, the research shows. 
The independent research carried out for Thermae Bath Spa by Exeter-based South West Research Company, which specialises in tourism, shows that 61% of visitors to Thermae said that the spa was their main reason for coming to Bath.
The research also shows that 51% of its visitors were staying overnight in the Bath area with 49% local residents or day visitors.
The most highly-rated features of the spa were its showpiece rooftop pool and the quality of the treatments.
Visitor satisfaction was very high with 68% saying their visit was ‘very good’ and 29% ‘good’, while 74% said they would recommend the spa to friends and family. Some 91% said they would visit the spa again.
YTL Hotels, part of the Malaysian YTL conglomerate that owns Wessex Water, took over the spa’s operating contract in February, setting up a new company Bath Hotel and Spa Ltd.
Chairman Colin Skellett said: “The idea of reviving the spa in Bath was resurrected in the 1990s as a way of supporting the local economy.
“Now it is clear that Thermae Bath Spa has gone a long way to achieving that aim.
“We are working very closely with local businesses, suppliers and Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Council to spread the economic benefits as widely as possible.
“From the perspective of employment, we have more than doubled the number of people who work at the spa and we now have a dedicated team of 170 members of staff.
“They have worked very hard to provide a good quality service and an experience which our guests will enjoy. The results of our visitor survey are extremely positive and our staff should feel justly proud of their hard work and enthusiasm.”
B&NES cabinet member for sustainable development Cllr Ben Stevens added: “This independent survey confirms that we were right to support the development of the Thermae Bath Spa in the early 2000s. Credit should be paid to the council for promoting this forward looking albeit controversial development.
“It has helped to bring thousands of visitors into the Bath and has given a £75m boost to the local economy. It is also good to know that visitor satisfaction continues to be very high and that a large majority of users would visit again and recommend the Thermae Bath Spa to their friends and family.”
The survey highlighted two weaknesses and areas which customers felt should be improved including it being too busy on Saturdays and including the use of a towel, robe and slippers in the cost of a spa session.
