LUXURY wellness tourism is a reality and the numbers are staggering: according to the Global Wellness Institute, luxury wellness tourism is already a $439 billion market-or more than one in seven of all tourist dollars-and is set to grow to $678.5 billion in three short years by 2017.
The UAE is one of the top spenders from the GCC to vouch for holistic treatments in India. Statistics show the UAE residents spent an estimated $6.6 billion per year on international holiday trips of which $4.0 billion is spent on medical and luxury wellness tourism. Six million visitors from the UAE are stated to fly to India for luxury wellness tourism and India’s total wellness market is valued at $18 billion in the next four years. India’s luxury wellness tourism segment is estimated to grow nearly 50 per cent faster than the other aspects of global tourism in 2017.
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Bhardwaj … good demand of wellness products from Saudi Arabia |
Now poised to become the fifth largest consumer market globally by 2020, India demonstrates all the demographic advantages of a market for leading international spa and wellness brands. Royal India Wellness, initiated by Dubai-based luxury consultants Globuzz, made its debut into the UAE’s much-awaited luxury wellness platform through a three-day exhibition at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai. “Last year when Globuzz launched Royal India Luxury, wellness was just one segment out of other luxury offerings from the country,” said Gayathri Bhardwaj, founder and managing director of Globuzz. “But it didn’t take us long to figure out that high-end wellness from India had a clear demand – most of the enquiries we received were for the wellness segment.” The first-ever India-focused luxury wellness exhibition and seminars provided a platform to 20 high-end wellness brands and therapy providers who offered a slew of packages for wellness through rejuvenation, holistic healing and prevention and reversal of lifestyle diseases. “India offers holistic wellness like no other country can,” continues Bhardwaj. “We offer the cleansing of the mind and body, and ridding of minor ailments without medication, through diet and nature’s gifts. The Indian cycle of wellness starts from identification right through to the cure.” “Dubai is always a favourite but we have also been getting sizeable enquiries from Saudi Arabia. We would consider doing an edition in Saudi as well,” concluded Bhardwaj. The gross exhibition space of 1,050 sq m was shared among others by Soukya, CGH Earth, Raviz, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, Ranjit’s Svaasa, Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre, Kairali Ayurvedic Resort, Ananda – in the Himalayas and Kerala Tourism. Soukya is a residential international holistic health and integrative medical centre in a 30-acre organic farm in Bengaluru. It is the first healing centre of its kind in the world where different systems of medicine including Ayurveda, naturopathy, and homeopathy, and more than 30 complementary therapies like yoga, acupuncture, and reflexology are practised under one roof. It was conceived by Dr Issac Mathai and assisted by his wife Suja. Their family reside on the property and they are personally involved in the daily operations of it. One of the famous guests at the property has been Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
