Years ago I was living in Hua Hin, Thailand. The condo complex I occupied had a lovely pool and, one day, hanging out poolside, I met a fellow from San Francisco. In the course of our conversation, he mentioned that he'd ventured to Thailand for the specific purpose of having some root canal work done.
My mischievous retort, it seemed like a long way to go to get to the dentist, was answered with the observation that the quality of the service was so high, yet the price so low, it was actually more economical for him to travel to Thailand for a few weeks than have his dental work done at home. And that was saying nothing of the perk of three weeks sitting by the pool in Hua Hin!
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.
Though, at first blush, these developments could seem to be a logical outgrowth of medical tourism, closer consideration reveals the matter is a little more complicated than that. In fact, it turns out that wellness tourism is a whole heck of a lot older than medical tourism. It's just been a bit more off on the backstreets - though not always.
A lot of readers here may not be old enough to remember, but, back in the late 1960s, there was an international India-craze inspired by a mega-popular rock band, the Beatles, after they traveled to India in search of spiritual enlightenment and mastery of the techniques of meditation. And, it turns out, again, today, the current time in India is wellness time.
Wellness practices such as meditation, yoga, a thriving homeopathy sector, and specialized healthy diets, such as ayurveda, even in cultures historically foreign to such practices, have been the drivers of the new wellness travel boom. Such practices are part of well established, and in some cases ancient, Indian wellness traditions.
India has, as a result of all this, become the world's fastest growing wellness travel destination. The current projected growth in wellness tourism for the country is estimated at 22 percent per year. At the moment the U.S. holds top spot for wellness tourism. Looking to the future, with a growth rate below 6 percent in the States, it appears India is poised to shoot ahead as leader in the field.
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.)
As we said, as a whole new era of travel is upon us: there's no doubt that the current time in India is definitely wellness time.
My mischievous retort, it seemed like a long way to go to get to the dentist, was answered with the observation that the quality of the service was so high, yet the price so low, it was actually more economical for him to travel to Thailand for a few weeks than have his dental work done at home. And that was saying nothing of the perk of three weeks sitting by the pool in Hua Hin!
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.
Though, at first blush, these developments could seem to be a logical outgrowth of medical tourism, closer consideration reveals the matter is a little more complicated than that. In fact, it turns out that wellness tourism is a whole heck of a lot older than medical tourism. It's just been a bit more off on the backstreets - though not always.
A lot of readers here may not be old enough to remember, but, back in the late 1960s, there was an international India-craze inspired by a mega-popular rock band, the Beatles, after they traveled to India in search of spiritual enlightenment and mastery of the techniques of meditation. And, it turns out, again, today, the current time in India is wellness time.
Wellness practices such as meditation, yoga, a thriving homeopathy sector, and specialized healthy diets, such as ayurveda, even in cultures historically foreign to such practices, have been the drivers of the new wellness travel boom. Such practices are part of well established, and in some cases ancient, Indian wellness traditions.
India has, as a result of all this, become the world's fastest growing wellness travel destination. The current projected growth in wellness tourism for the country is estimated at 22 percent per year. At the moment the U.S. holds top spot for wellness tourism. Looking to the future, with a growth rate below 6 percent in the States, it appears India is poised to shoot ahead as leader in the field.
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.)
As we said, as a whole new era of travel is upon us: there's no doubt that the current time in India is definitely wellness time.
About the Author:
If you want to keep up 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 a must read.
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