Two Indian destinations have been included in TripAdvisor’s top 10 wellness travel destinations around the globe.
Rishikesh in Uttrakhand is No.2 and Goa is No. 7 on the list of TripAdvisor’s Ten Zen Escapes.
Rishikesh is in the middle of the Himalayas and it has deep cultural and spiritual significance. It is also known as the yoga capital of the world and considered one of the holiest places to Hindus. Non-vegetarian food are alcohol are prohibited in Rishikesh due to religious significance of the place.
In September 2015, the Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma announced that Rishikesh and Haridwar will be the first in India to be given the title of “twin national heritage cities”.
The sandy coasts of Goa are popular tourist spots.
Goa’s department of tourism recently said it was exploring possibilities of extending beach patrolling between dawn and dusk to prevent untoward mishaps and unwarranted activities that have been affecting Goa’s image as a safe tourism destination.
TripAdvisor’s list is based on wellness destinations seeing the greatest amount of related search terms such as wellness, spiritual or yoga retreat. On top of the list is Bali in Indonesia and Sedona in the United States of America is at number 3.
Hepburn Springs in Australia, Koh Samui in Thailand, Coata Rica, Zermatt in Switzerland, Maldives and Ibiza in Spain have also found a place on the list.
Wellness tourism is a growing trend where travellers focus on health and overall spiritual wellbeing on their trips. According to a recent poll on TripAdvisor’s Facebook community, nearly 25 per cent of travellers say they intend to take a wellness trip in the next 12 months.
