Image: Hilton's eforea brand arrived in Doha this year

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has published its latest benchmark study analysing the spa markets in Doha, Qatar; Beirut, Lebanon; and Jordan's Dead Sea region.

The current edition of the Middle East Spa Benchmarking Survey covers the period between January and April 2012 and tracks 11 key metrics across the regional sectors.

Among the key findings of the research is that average treatment revenue per treatment sold during the first four months of the year was highest in Doha at US$134 (EUR107, £86).

Doha also reported the highest average daily treatment revenue per available treatment room at US$256 (EUR205, £164) - more than double that recorded in Beirut or the Dead Sea.

Although the average treatment revenue figures were higher in the Qatari capital, utilisation of therapist hours and treatment room hours were the lowest across the three Middle East regions.

The report also found that spa treatments booked by hotel guests in the Dead Sea stood at 92 per cent, compared with 16 per cent and 33 per cent in Doha and Beirut.

According to the research, "This is mainly due to the fact that the Dead Sea is a leisurely tourist destination without a large affluent and urban local population."

To read more from PwC on how the three Middle East spa markets performed during 2011, see Spa Business 2012 Issue 2, p76

To read the current issue of Spa Business magazine, visit www.spabusiness.com/magazine

Details: www.pwc.com