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While the economy and poor weather had negative effects on the 2009 hot tub market, warmer temperatures last fall and growing consumer confidence has already spurred growth in hot tub sales.

Although the Canadian spa/hot tub industry continued to falter in 2009 due to the economy and poor weather, consumer interest and sales picked up late last fall and has continued into 2010.

Manufacturers are optimistic about the market and feel the 2010 season will be better than what was experienced in 2008 and 2009.

"The market is moving again and sales are increasing," says Lyndon Thrones, director of marketing for Beachcomber Hot Tubs in Surrey, B.C. "There is more consumer confidence in the marketplace than there has been in the past 18 months. Our stores are performing stronger and seeing more traffic; we are looking forward to a strong 2010."

With the passing of The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES Act) last June in the U.S. and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) currently evaluating an energy performance standard for hot tubs (C374), energy efficiency will become a key area of growth for the industry.

Similar to previous years, product distribution has seen very little change. The largest sectors for sales remains retailers selling both swimming pool and hot tub products along with dedicated hot tub stores.

For a complete report on the state of the Canadian hot tub industry, watch for the May/June issue of Pool & Spa Marketing.