‘Wellness tourism gaining prominence among travellers’

Recently, city-based avid traveller Preejo TJ went on a trip to Assam and Meghalaya - he tells us that it was a much-needed break from his routine. “After COVID, many started travelling to places like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. People have been waiting to get out of the house and be with nature. Most of the tourist destinations in the country are partially open. Instead of travelling for leisure, many are promoting their well-being through physical, psychological and spiritual activities. Travellers have become more adventurous, which was not the case earlier. My recent trip to Assam and Meghalaya was a much-needed break - I was waiting to unwind from my daily activities The places where I visited are so dreamy, surreal and enchanting -  all the villages are surrounded by greenery, waterfalls, and hills,” says Preejo, excitedly. 

A freelance consultant, he has been travelling solo since 2016 to offbeat places across the country. “I often share my travel details on social media and many reach out to me asking to organise/curate trips. What I have noticed after the pandemic is that people wanted to step out and experience various things. In Chennai itself, a lot have gotten into cycling, exercises and yoga. There was a point where cycle shops in the city ran out of stock! There is a sense of calmness when you spend time with nature. You can find a lot of cyclists at the OMR and ECR stretch. I am not sure if it is wellness or health aspect, but people are done sitting inside the house for almost 1.5 years. The morning headcounts in Chennai beaches have also increased in the last three months. I hope it is not just a trend or a fad. I would want to see people taking a real interest in their wellness,” he adds. 

Preejo loves to indulge in outdoor yoga and mediation when he is travelling. “I do headstands at mountains, near waterfalls and cliffs. Being a morning person, I spend one hour for yoga and a half-hour for meditation. As much as wellness tourism is gaining prominence, I feel it is not fully experienced in India. Here, many get only a few days’ leaves and they love relaxing and doing other activities, “ he adds. 

Pradeep Chakravarthy, who curates heritage tourism in TN, says that he has been receiving a lot of requests from people regarding spiritual tours. “A lot of children are stuck in online classes and have been wanting to step out of the house. We are opening our heritage hotel in Alwar Tirunagari in the Thoothukudi district in November and have got several requests from across India. With people not touring abroad so much, they wanted to visit south Indian states. Wellness tourism is not just yoga and meditation but also learning how to cook and bond with each other. During the lockdown, people stayed together and have realised the value of doing things together. So now, they are looking at enhancing well-being by doing various things together,” shares Pradeep.