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.
My mischievous reply was to the effect that it struck me as a rather long route to the dentist's office. He proceed to let me in on what was at that time still a pretty secret ritual. Medical services in Thailand were in fact even then so good, with the costs being so low, that it was less expensive for him to travel to Thailand for a few weeks, including the price of airfare, than to pay for the dental work back home in the States. Oh, and did I mention the few weeks lounging in Thailand? Not too many dentists back home threw that perk into their customer service package!
Afterward, I looked into the matter and discovered that even at that time there was a growing business of people coming to Thailand precisely for medical purposes. Since then the medical tourism business has taken off. And a lot more destinations have joined the ranks of preferred medical havens. A friend recently spent a couple weeks in Mexico to get his dental work done.
In the wake of this medical tourism boom, there seems to be now a more general wellness tourism boom. You might think of it as the preventative cure form of travel.
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.
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.
As we've seen, there's nothing new about India's spiritual retreats and spas, ashrams and gurus attracting international visitors. For the last half century, though, these visitors have been primarily hippies and other alternate lifestyle types. That's all changing, now, big time. Awareness of wellness as a central factor in a long, healthy and enjoyable life has grown among people all over the world. The result is that India's ancient wellness secrets have taken center stage.
Among the top destinations for wellness travel in India are SwaSwara of Gokarna, the Ayurvedic Natural Health Center in Goa, and the Shreyas Yoga Retreat in Bangalore. These and all the other Indian hot-spots have meditation, yoga and ayurveda central to their wellness practices. Don't discount, the fact, additionally, that a few also provide spectacular beachside sunsets. (Even our favorite, modest little resort town, Varkala in Kerala , boasts a major ayurvedic experience.)
If you want to know what time it is in India, be assured, the current time in India is definitely wellness time.
My mischievous reply was to the effect that it struck me as a rather long route to the dentist's office. He proceed to let me in on what was at that time still a pretty secret ritual. Medical services in Thailand were in fact even then so good, with the costs being so low, that it was less expensive for him to travel to Thailand for a few weeks, including the price of airfare, than to pay for the dental work back home in the States. Oh, and did I mention the few weeks lounging in Thailand? Not too many dentists back home threw that perk into their customer service package!
Afterward, I looked into the matter and discovered that even at that time there was a growing business of people coming to Thailand precisely for medical purposes. Since then the medical tourism business has taken off. And a lot more destinations have joined the ranks of preferred medical havens. A friend recently spent a couple weeks in Mexico to get his dental work done.
In the wake of this medical tourism boom, there seems to be now a more general wellness tourism boom. You might think of it as the preventative cure form of travel.
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.
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.
As we've seen, there's nothing new about India's spiritual retreats and spas, ashrams and gurus attracting international visitors. For the last half century, though, these visitors have been primarily hippies and other alternate lifestyle types. That's all changing, now, big time. Awareness of wellness as a central factor in a long, healthy and enjoyable life has grown among people all over the world. The result is that India's ancient wellness secrets have taken center stage.
Among the top destinations for wellness travel in India are SwaSwara of Gokarna, the Ayurvedic Natural Health Center in Goa, and the Shreyas Yoga Retreat in Bangalore. These and all the other Indian hot-spots have meditation, yoga and ayurveda central to their wellness practices. Don't discount, the fact, additionally, that a few also provide spectacular beachside sunsets. (Even our favorite, modest little resort town, Varkala in Kerala , boasts a major ayurvedic experience.)
If you want to know what time it is in India, be assured, the current time in India is definitely wellness time.
About the Author:
When you need to keep up on what's happening on the India travel scene, follow us at the Current Time in India site. Mitchell Jones is an experienced travel writer and old India hand. For those considering international travel with their kids, his piece on CDC Travel Vaccines and the Joy of Traveling with Your Kids is required reading.
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