HEALTH & WELLNESS TOURISM

SPEAKERS AT THE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

Welcome By: Shri Nikhil Agarwal , Chairman, Tourism Committee, ASSOCHAM Gujarat Council and Director, Lalooji & Sons

Moderated By: Shri Nishat Shah,MD, SITC Group & Member, ASSOCHAM - Gujarat Council

Special Guest - Khyati Nayak,, Manager, Business Development and Skill Development, Gujarat Tourism, Government of Gujarat

Eminent Panelists were -

- Dr. Rekha Chaudhari, Global Wellness Ambassador for India and a social entrepreneur of non-profit organizations

- Dr P K Shaji,Chief Medical Officer, Nimba Nature Care

- Shyamapriya Sarkar, Key Catalyst, Lokayurved

- Shri. E. M. Najeeb, Senior Vice President, IATO

- Shri Rajesh Mishra, General Manager, Hotel Narayani Height

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE-

Khyati Nayak Manager, Business Development and Skill Development, Gujarat Tourism, Government of Gujarat -

In these difficult times, wellness can offer a vision for the future and can provide a roadmap for healing and growth. COVID-19 is a wake-up call to the world. One moment people were going about their normal lives, jobs, school, and activities, and then in a matter of weeks, hundreds of thousands have died, millions have been infected, and half of the worlds population is in some form of lockdown.

The Health & Wellness Tourism Sector just before the onset of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic situation was promising and had gained enough momentum over the past few years. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the Travel & Tourism market across the different levels. A huge loss to the tourism industry is expected due to this impact after second wave of COVID, specially to the tour operators, hospitality centres etc. even after considering the fact that last year, The Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi symbolically reopened India's arms after first long lockdown to welcome the tourists from all over the world.

While equipping with best infrastructure of hospitals, treatment centers, and attractive tourist places, Gujarat can be considered as a hub for Health & Wellness Tourism for India and the rest of the world. The time tested principals of Ayurveda, ancient natural medicine practice from back 3000 years, combines medicine and philosophy and promotes wellness of mind, body and soul with a renewed stress on holistic well being, nutrition & rejuvenation as an aftermath of pandemic. Health & Wellness Tourism sector is poised to grow more aggressively in the new normal & this holds a lot of promise as we have our traditional strengths in the form of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy.

Dr. Rekha Chaudhari, Global Wellness Ambassador for India and a social entrepreneur of non-profit organizations

Never before has health and wellbeing declined so rapidly and simultaneously for so many people across the globe. The Coronavirus pandemic is exposing great health schisms between the world's haves" and have nots." The haves" also include individuals who are in good health, because our own health and immune systems form the first line of defense against infectious disease.

Indeed, healthy people have a good chance of mild symptoms and recovery from COVID-19, while those with chronic conditions - such as diabetes, heart disease, and compromised immune systems - are at high risk for severe illness and death.

Dr P K Shaji, Chief Medical Officer, Nimba Nature Care

Wellness is never more important than in difficult times like these. Wellness is the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health. Our wellness is multi-faceted, encompassing physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental, and spiritual dimensions. We are not whole or truly well when any of these foundations of life are missing or deficient; each dimension strengthens or weakens another. He also presented a ppt attached with this document.

Shyamapriya Sarkar, Key Catalyst, Lokayurved

If we talk about wellness though healthy food, a shift in the dietary pattern of the people have been observed during the outbreak of COVID-19 was observed among the population which could also be driven by the fear and anxiety many people around the globe are experiencing. Consumers are more focused on the products with nutritional aspects which could help in boosting immunity. By consuming balanced & Nutritious Food not only immunity can be boosted but also mental & physical wellness can be attained rapidly. She also presented a ppt attached with this document.

Shri. E. M. Najeeb, Senior Vice President, IATO

He has said that frontline tourism workers in travel and tourism should be given priority for COVID-19 vaccination. "For a state like Kerala, a healthy, robust tourism industry is critical to the overall recovery of the economy as it contributes over 10 per cent of the GDP," he said.

The Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry, which is the united voice of Kerala Tourism Trade, is seeking urgent financial aid package for the survival of the state\'s biggest service industry sector - Tourism.

The Tourism Sector is the most important revenue generating sector in Kerala with a total revenue of Rs 45,000 crores, which makes up 11.5 percent of the state's GDP and giving employment to more than 15 lakh people. The sector's foreign exchange revenue during the last financial year is Rs. 10000 crores, which goes far beyond the IT sector. It is one of the hardest hit sectors in Kerala. Unfortunately, no relief measures have given by both the central or state governments till date and most of the skilled and experienced professionals within the industry workforce are out of jobs because of lockdown and majority of the investors and industry stakeholders are finding it difficult to maintain their businesses. Some of the professionals and investors have moved to different areas trying to salvage their businesses like fish sales, online and offline trade of pickles and food stuff, housekeeping contacts etc. just to make ends-meet.

The various tourism industry associations under CKTI have submitted many representations and suggestions to the governments for the mere survival and existence of the sector through financial aid packages and expect favourable decisions. These demands are completely justifiable given the situation and include waiving of taxes for one year and fixed electricity tariffs. The industry requests this from both state and Central Governments in order to ensure that the tourism industry survives this crisis.

Shri Rajesh Mishra, General Manager, Hotel Narayani Height

He has explained the role of Hotel industries in Health and wellness. When booking a hotel room, there are certain basic amenities most people expect will be available to them. 24-hour access to a gym or pool is not a surprise in most full-service hotels and is even starting to become standard at focusedservice properties around the world. More recently, however, many hotels seem to be expanding beyond the standard gym and pool amenities.

It is no surprise that the hotel industry has responded to this wellness trend accordingly. For years, upscale hotels have offered "health and wellness options" for guests (think spa services like massages and facials). But times are changing and these service just don't cut it any longer. Beyond these typical spa services, hotels now offer amenities such as paddleboard yoga classes, fitness apparel boutiques, and juice and oxygen bars to name a few. Some of the trendier hotels offer more eccentric amenities such as aromatherapy, astrology readings and sound therapy. The upscale Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa in Paradise Valley, AZ offers one-on-one classes with an in-house nutritionist, paddleboard yoga, and "Zennis"- tennis classes that focus on body awareness and relaxation. These amenities are more commonly found in boutique hotels, but even larger hotels seem to be jumping on the bandwagon by offering more extravagant amenities.