The Romans sure knew how to relax. Around CE 43, they built baths around Britain's only natural hot springs in the valley of River Avon, turning it into an ancient hub of rest and relaxation. They called it Aquae Sulis, after Goddess Sulis Minerva; the English, well, kept it literal, calling it simply Bath (in present-day Somerset). While initially known for its healing properties, Bath became a hotspot for pleasure and relaxation, especially among the English royals and high society in the 1700s and 1800s. (Bath, therefore, features in two of Jane Austen's novels-Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. A chronicler of her times, Austen called Bath home for a while, so did Mary Shelley). Apart from royal and literary visits, Bath, over the years, attracted many a tourist. In 1987, Bath became a World Heritage Site and, in 2021, was accredited as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe.
Long before the Romans though, Indians knew a thing or two about the healing properties of nature, thanks to Ayurveda. Today, Ayurveda and naturopathy form the basis of the wellness concept in India. And, like with Bath, wellness has evolved over time in India. From just spas and resorts, we now have holistic wellness centres. But the biggest shift in the industry, both globally and in India, happened during and post the pandemic.
As per the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the wellness tourism market was $720 billion in 2019; it dropped to $436 billion in 2020. India ranked 12th in the top 20 destination markets for wellness tourism in 2020. In 2017, its wellness tourism expenditure, according to the GWI report, was $11.4 billion, rising to $13.3 billion in 2019. In 2020 though, it fell to $7.2 billion. But GWI predicts rapid growth in the coming years-a $1.1 trillion markets in 2025. And, if one goes by the trends in the Indian wellness industry, the growth prediction can very well apply here as well.
この記事は THE WEEK India の July 24, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は THE WEEK India の July 24, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
