THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala, known as the cradle of , would soon be greeting wellness tourists who flock to the state to experience the magic of Ayurveda, which is fast turning the state into a global medical tourism destination, attracting holidayers as well as international celebrities, with packages to get in touch with the centuries-old traditions of preparing ayurvedic medicines and the cultivation of medicinal plants.
The Responsible Tourism Mission under the Tourism Department is working on the project and has reached an understanding with around 48 farmers across the state who own medicinal plant gardens ranging from 3 to 10 acres and around 180 small scale medicinal farmers. The project envisages the wellness tourists who visit the state for ayurvedic massages and other treatments also experience the process of preparing ayurvedic medicines and the traditional maintenance of medicinal plants for this purpose.
According to state RT mission coordinator Rupesh Kumar, very few of the hundreds of ayurvedic treatments in the state own farms though they produce their own medicines. “This project will give them an opportunity to take their guests to the medicinal plant farms and the tourists will be able to come close to the traditional and authentic form of cultivation and preparation of ayurvedic medicines,” he said.
The project offers ayurvedic wellness seekers authentic Ayurveda which they can experience from close quarters and will also distinguish Kerala Ayurveda from the countless, sometimes dubious, ayurvedic centres outside the state. In short, the project would help brand Kerala as the go-to place for authentic Ayurveda across the globe.
Meanwhile, once the process of classifying Ayurveda centres into three different categories - Ayur diamond, Ayur gold and Ayur silver, according to the facilities and quality of services offered at each centre is completed, Kerala Tourism would launch the aforementioned packages for wellness tourists. At present, the package is operational at two destinations – Vaikom and Kumarakom in Kottayam, in the state as part of the ‘village tour’ project of the department.
At present, around five lakh tourists visit the state as part of the village tour campaign of tourism department and it expects to get around 1-2 lakh tourists more for the wellness sector once the packages are launched. From the market angle, the global market for Ayurveda is growing fast and is expected to touch $9.7 billion in 2022 from $3.4 billion in 2015.
Healing packages
● Wellness tourism sector targets 1-2 lakh more tourists
● Kerala is well-positioned to cater to this rising demand for ayurvedic products and services
● Around 48 farmers owning 3-10 acres of medicinal plant gardens and 180 small-scale farmers registered with the Responsible Tourism Mission to provide packages for tourists to get in touch with the cultivation of plants for the industry
● Ayurveda treatment centres and farmers would be brought under one platform under the package and the centres can utilise the farms of farmers for their guests
● The size of the world ayurvedic market is expected to touch $9.7 billion in 2022 from $3.4 billion in 2015