Many years ago I met a gentleman from San Francisco, while we were both lounging around poolside at our Hua Hin condo complex, in Thailand. In the course of our conversation, he mentioned that he came to Thailand for some root canal work.
In reply to my initial response that it seemed like a long way to come to see the dentist, he explained that the quality was so good, yet the price so low, that it was less expensive to come to Thailand for a few weeks than doing the work back home. Plus, heck, you get to spend a few weeks in Thailand!
With a little further investigation, I discovered that there was a growing business of medical tourists. People such as the gentleman in Hua Hin were becoming a significant part of the economy in places like Thailand: traveling precisely for purposes of good quality, inexpensive medical treatments. Since then the medical tourism business has become huge. Many more destinations have gotten into the game. For instance, a friend went to Mexico for a couple weeks, last year, for his dental work.
It seems that this popular tourism boom trend has seen an offshoot in what is being called the wellness tourism business. As one rascal put it to me, think of it as the preventative care form of medical tourism.
While this might seem like an obvious spin-off of medical tourism, closer examination is more revealing. The wellness tourism trend is in fact a lot older. It's just been a bit off the grid - though not entirely.
Now, I know, for some of you, this is ancient history, but way back in the 60s, an international India-craze resulted when global phenomenon rock band, the Beatles, journeyed to India, seeking spiritual enlightenment and the mastery of meditation practices. Well, guess what, today, the current time in India is once more wellness time.
The combination of meditation, yoga, a thriving homeopathy sector and specialized healthy diets, such as ayurveda, have driven the world wide trend toward wellness oriented practices, in general, and India specifically. Even societies with no history of such traditions have seen notable uptakes in such practices. However new they may be anywhere else, though, such practices are firmly established, in some cases ancient, Indian traditions.
Unsurprisingly, then, India has been a major player in these developments. Indeed, it is the fastest growing wellness travel destination in the world. India's current projected growth in the industry is 22 percent annually. Interestingly, the United States is the current leader in wellness tourism, but its annual growth rate is below 6 percent. India would seem to be the up-and-comer in the emerging wellness travel business.
There's nothing especially new about the attraction of Indian spiritual retreats and spas, ashrams and gurus. For a very long time they have been magnets for hippies and alternate lifestyle types of all kinds. This growing international wellness awareness, though, and the increasing popularity of striving for a life that is long as it is enjoyable, has changed the playing field. India's ancient secrets have hit prime time.
Top destinations for the Indian industry include SwaSwara of Gokarna, the Ayurvedic Natural Health Center in Goa, and the Shreyas Yoga Retreat in Bangalore. Themes of meditation, yoga and ayurveda animate the wellness programs at these various locations. And a couple provide the perk of spectacular sunsets on the beach. (Even our favorite, modest little resort town, Varkala in Kerala , boasts a major ayurvedic experience.)
So, next time someone asks you what time it is in India, you can tell them, my friend, the current time in India is wellness time.
In reply to my initial response that it seemed like a long way to come to see the dentist, he explained that the quality was so good, yet the price so low, that it was less expensive to come to Thailand for a few weeks than doing the work back home. Plus, heck, you get to spend a few weeks in Thailand!
With a little further investigation, I discovered that there was a growing business of medical tourists. People such as the gentleman in Hua Hin were becoming a significant part of the economy in places like Thailand: traveling precisely for purposes of good quality, inexpensive medical treatments. Since then the medical tourism business has become huge. Many more destinations have gotten into the game. For instance, a friend went to Mexico for a couple weeks, last year, for his dental work.
It seems that this popular tourism boom trend has seen an offshoot in what is being called the wellness tourism business. As one rascal put it to me, think of it as the preventative care form of medical tourism.
While this might seem like an obvious spin-off of medical tourism, closer examination is more revealing. The wellness tourism trend is in fact a lot older. It's just been a bit off the grid - though not entirely.
Now, I know, for some of you, this is ancient history, but way back in the 60s, an international India-craze resulted when global phenomenon rock band, the Beatles, journeyed to India, seeking spiritual enlightenment and the mastery of meditation practices. Well, guess what, today, the current time in India is once more wellness time.
The combination of meditation, yoga, a thriving homeopathy sector and specialized healthy diets, such as ayurveda, have driven the world wide trend toward wellness oriented practices, in general, and India specifically. Even societies with no history of such traditions have seen notable uptakes in such practices. However new they may be anywhere else, though, such practices are firmly established, in some cases ancient, Indian traditions.
Unsurprisingly, then, India has been a major player in these developments. Indeed, it is the fastest growing wellness travel destination in the world. India's current projected growth in the industry is 22 percent annually. Interestingly, the United States is the current leader in wellness tourism, but its annual growth rate is below 6 percent. India would seem to be the up-and-comer in the emerging wellness travel business.
There's nothing especially new about the attraction of Indian spiritual retreats and spas, ashrams and gurus. For a very long time they have been magnets for hippies and alternate lifestyle types of all kinds. This growing international wellness awareness, though, and the increasing popularity of striving for a life that is long as it is enjoyable, has changed the playing field. India's ancient secrets have hit prime time.
Top destinations for the Indian industry include SwaSwara of Gokarna, the Ayurvedic Natural Health Center in Goa, and the Shreyas Yoga Retreat in Bangalore. Themes of meditation, yoga and ayurveda animate the wellness programs at these various locations. And a couple provide the perk of spectacular sunsets on the beach. (Even our favorite, modest little resort town, Varkala in Kerala , boasts a major ayurvedic experience.)
So, next time someone asks you what time it is in India, you can tell them, my friend, the current time in India is wellness time.
About the Author:
When you need to keep tabs on what's happening on the India travel scene, check us out at the Current Time in India site. Mitchell Jones is an experienced travel writer and old India hand. For those considering exotic travel with their children, his article on CDC Travel Vaccines and the Joy of Traveling with Your Kids is required reading.
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