Context: Recently, UP tourism has invited entrepreneurs to set up wellness centres across the state offering up to 30% capital subsidy and other major benefits under its Tourism Policy 2022.
- The initiative aims to promote holistic health, yoga, and traditional Indian healing systems while boosting tourism, generating employment, and encouraging entrepreneurship across the state.
More on the news:
- Objective: The focus isto combine Uttar Pradesh’s spiritual and cultural identity with modern wellness practices.
- Promotion of AYUSH-based therapies: Such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy to give tourists an experience that brings peace to both body and mind.
- Guidelines for Establishing Wellness Facilities: Under the Tourism Policy 2022, a Wellness Centre must have at least five therapy rooms offering AYUSH-based treatments.
- A Wellness Resort should have a minimum of one acre of land, 20 rooms, and dedicated areas for therapies and relaxation.
- Experience-driven wellness tourism: These centres will cater to visitors seeking physical healing, mental peace, and spiritual balance, adding an experience-driven segment to the state’s tourism offerings.
- Integration of Wellness Tourism with Spiritual Circuits: The government also plans to link wellness tourism with existing spiritual circuits, such as Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan, Chitrakoot, Sarnath, Shravasti, and Kapilvastu.
- International Collaboration: The Tourism Department will host an annual International Yoga Conclave to promote the initiative and establish Uttar Pradesh as a global wellness destination.
- Incentives for investors under Tourism policy 2022: Entrepreneurs establishing Wellness Centres or Resorts in Uttar Pradesh will receive several benefits under the 2022 policy. These include:
- Up to 30% Capital Investment Subsidy
- Interest reimbursement on loans
- Stamp duty exemption
- Waiver of land conversion and development charges
- Employment-linked assistance
Significance of the Initiative:
- Boost to Employment opportunities: The wellness tourism initiative will create new job opportunities in areas such as yoga training, ayurvedic therapy, naturopathy, hospitality, diet counselling, and wellness tourism management.
- Promotion of cultural heritage: It will also encourage the use of local herbs, organic products, and traditional healing methods that are deeply rooted in Uttar Pradesh’s cultural heritage.
- Facilitating economic development: The initiative aims to expand tourism beyond heritage and religious sites by integrating health, culture, and livelihood, wellness while creating new economic opportunities for locals.
