Wellness tourism gets a fillip as Indians prioritise health
‘Profound shift amongst people’s willingness to address their minds’
According to Geetika Sharma, Director – Wellness Strategy, Ananda in the Himalayas, post the pandemic, people woke up to the need to take care of our emotional and mental health. “The stigma associated with acknowledging the need for assistance with one’s mental body is disappearing. The emotional aspect is creating a substantial impact and leading to difficulties in the physical body is a far more accepted idea today. At Ananda, our efforts through yoga are focussed over spiritual awakening and we observe a profound shift amongst our guests’ willingness to address their minds.,” she explains.
And to cater to the rising need, the retreats have been creating holistic programs depending on the person’s requirements. Before a traveller even embarks on the trip, the in-house doctors and experts take note of every health condition, ailment and wellness aspirations of the individual opting for the program. Sharmilee Kapur, Co-Founder & Director of Atmantan Wellness Centre, shares, “Once accepted into the retreat program, the doctors collect a pre-arrival health and wellness questionnaire. Upon check-in, the consulting doctors create a personalized retreat program for the guests and have daily sit-downs with them.”
Besides, the guests are also offered an after-care program where they can continue to stay in touch with the doctors even as they return to their daily lives.
‘Offering long term benefits that are not restricted to the trip’
The programs are usually curated as per a traveller’s requirement and can last upto fourteen days. According to Aishwarya Thapa, team member, Six Senses, Vana, the focus is on providing long term benefits which are not just restricted to the span of the trip. “We have curated around 12 activities, including Yoga, meditation, workshops, and functional fitness as well. These programs focus on improving the sleep cycle, detoxifying your body, addressing weight and other health related issues,” she adds
‘The diets are in tandem with the philosophy of Yoga’
The focus is also on building immunity and assisting the body in restoring health, strength, balance and enhancing longevity, owing to which, a special wellness cuisine is also prescribed depending on the health requirements of a traveller. The gastronomical experience at Ananda has its roots in age old traditions, which maintain and restore health, vitality and wellbeing. Reema Saikia, Senior lead consultant at Ananda in the Himalayas shares, “We have different diet plans that are curated through various wellness and culinary chefs in tandem with the philosophy of Yoga, which is anti-inflammatory and Sattvik diet. If you are on a holistic detox program, then the ayurvedic experts also step in.”
By following a transforming regime day in and day out, people become adept at improving and undoing certain lifestyle conditions; they ‘learn by doing’, and then take these new and improved habits and routines back into their daily lives
Sharmilee Kapur, Co-Founder & Director of Atmantan Wellness Centre
It is important to take a break from the routine, cleanse and detoxify your body and focus on your emotional, physical and mental wellbeing from time to time. These programmes also help in developing a habit of waking up early, switching to a clean diet and learning exercises that can even be followed while working from your office
-Vidhi Shah, a yoga instructor
What do wellness programmes include?
Yoga
Meditation
Workshops
Functional fitness
Detox
Curated diet
Benefits of a wellness retreat
Improved sleep cycle
Body detox
Addressing weight-related issues
Building immunity
Restoring health and strength
Enhancing longevity
Wellness tourism is pegged to be a Rs 8192-crore industry by 2025, with a growth of 20.9%
(According to research by The Global Wellness Institute)
A 7-14 day wellness retreat costs around Rs 35000-Rs300000
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