Dr Asangba Tzudir
Wellness tourism is said to be “travel focused health centric tourism which looks at maintaining or enhancing personal well-being.” It encompasses activities like spa treatments, fitness programs, yoga, meditation, and nature experiences, prioritizing health and holistic well-being over traditional tourism activities. The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) defines wellness tourism as “travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one's personal well-being” with focus on physical, mental, and emotional well-being, offering experiences that promote health and relaxation.
While travel or travelling, though it depends on the mode of transportation and the way it is undertaken like a journey to visit a place distant, the wellness tourism is not really about the travel but the activity that is done at a place that can be associated with wellness and thereby creating an interface between men, the act and the environment.
The very idea of wellness tourism though an emerging form of tourism cannot be said to be a new concept. While the idea of ‘wellness’ may have taken a new form also in consideration of the emerging health issues, and the need to recreation, there has always been a anthropocentric relationship between men and the environment, and human beings in different ways have also created meaningful interactions and relationships with the environment. An instance which can be related to wellness is the ‘Healing Garden’ ‘created’ by noted Naga historian Dr. Visier Sanyu.
In context, Nagaland is blessed with healthy climatic conditions, lush green hills, rich biodiversity, captivating landscapes and natural tourist hotspots. Located in one of the 25 hotspots regions of the world in terms of bio-diversity with forest covering an area of 13, 318 sq.km corresponding to 80.33% of the state total geographical area, Nagaland possesses a vast variety of herbal and medical plants and this itself besides many other considerations offer a great potential for promotion of wellness tourism in Nagaland.
For health, for well being, for recreation and even to escape the ‘polluting’ effects of urbanization, wellness tourism comes as a fresh alternative for the promotion of this form of tourism. The only challenge that remains to be seen is to create connectivity with the rural areas and villages which can provide ideal solutions for promotion of wellness tourism. With greater awareness about important places and growing interest in environmental consciousness, it also boosts rural tourism and Nagaland state has a vast potential for developing such form of tourism. To this end, Village Tourism Development Board has a big role to play towards identification of villages based on the tourism merits. However, the government having identified the potential of growing wellness tourism in Nagaland, the need for better connectivity becomes pertinent.
While the key focus of Wellness tourism is on health and well being, it will naturally create a better connection between human beings and the environment which will then create greater awareness on the importance of preserving and conserving the environment.
(Dr Asangba Tzudir writes a weekly guest editorial for The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
