People around the world are increasingly traveling not just for sightseeing, but in search of health and balance. With this changing trend, 'health tourism' has now become one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry. Nepal is also trying to make good use of this opportunity.

Health tourism is not a new product. It is a concept developed from ancient civilizations, whose roots are found in yoga and Ayurveda, traditional medicine and the bathing culture (spa) of ancient Rome. In the last decade, countries including India, Thailand, Indonesia have expanded it commercially and established it as a 'tourism product' in the global market.

Nepal also formally included health tourism in its policy and program for the current fiscal year. The ministry has also put forward a program related to this in the current fiscal year, said Indu Ghimire, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. The Balendra Shah-led government has also mentioned in its first cabinet meeting on Chaitra 13 that it will bring out a strategy by Baisakh 1 with the aim of making Nepal a 'hub' of health tourism.

Ghimire says that the draft strategy on health tourism has been prepared. The draft has been sent to the Ministry of Finance, Planning Commission and the Prime Minister's Office. Meanwhile, Nepal has also increased its activity in this sector after the United Nations announced that April 15 will be celebrated as 'International Health Day'. The government has also put forward a plan to form an inter-agency coordination mechanism while preparing to celebrate 'Nepal Wellness Year 2027'. The Ministry of Tourism has said that Nepal is known worldwide for yoga, meditation, eastern philosophy and natural remedies. The ministry says that places like Lumbini, Pashupatinath, Swayambhu, Muktinath can become attractive destinations for tourists seeking spiritual peace.

Two decades ago, Nepal was known only for mountaineering and adventure tourism, but now, due to the impact of climate change and digital lifestyle, people are starting to seek peace and health here, said former Minister of State for Tourism Yangkila Sherpa. ‘This is a big opportunity for Nepal. It is also luxury tourism. It can contribute to the economy,’ she said.

The Nepal Hotel Association (HAN) is preparing to organize a national-level program by prioritizing the promotion of health tourism. ‘Hotels and resorts are the mainstay of this sector.’ That is why we have prepared a strategic document for its expansion, said HAN CEO Tek Bahadur Mahat, ‘We are organizing a national-level program in a few days.’ Many star and tourist-level hotels in Nepal have increased their investment in spa, yoga and wellness services. However, government agencies do not have accurate data on this.

After resigning as the mayor of Kathmandu, Balendra Shah had linked Janakpur with spiritual tourism in his first public meeting before the election, saying, ‘Nepalese go to Jaipur or Bali to get married.’ But the potential of Janakpur has not been utilized.’ He argued that the area around the Janaki Temple, known as the wedding site of Ram-Sita, could attract one million tourists annually. He had pointed out the possibility of Janakpur also supporting millions of tourists, citing the example of 100 million tourists reaching nearby Ayodhya annually.

At the anniversary of the Nepal Tourism Board, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Deepak Raj Joshi had said that Nepal should be introduced to the Asian market in categories such as Buddhism, spiritual tourism, Ayurveda, and health. He said that Nepal’s tour operators should prepare packages for that with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, non-resident Nepalis, and other private sectors.

In health tourism, people travel to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual health. Due to the current stressful lifestyle, this tourism is becoming increasingly popular around the world. Now, the strategy to be made public by the government will include activities like yoga, meditation, spa, massage, natural remedies, Ayurveda and staying in a peaceful environment. The success of the Health Day to be celebrated next year will depend on that.

Nepal has been running various tourism campaigns since 1998 to increase tourists. National campaigns such as Visit Year 1998, Nepal Tourism Year 2011, and Visit Nepal 2020 are some examples. Now, health tourism has been brought forward as a new 'theme'.

Executive Director of the Pashupati Area Development Fund, which has dozens of yoga meditation centers within the Pashupati area, said Subash Chandra Joshi. 'Many places, including the Suryaghat area of ​​Pashupati, are meditation centers. Many saints and great saints have meditated here,' Joshi said, 'Now is the right time to advance the health sector.' Nepal should now not only be a country of mountains and scenery, but also strive to become a destination of experiences.'

According to Joshi, when tourists meditate in Lumbini or Pashupati, seek spiritual peace in Janakpur or practice yoga in a mountain resort, then health tourism will take Nepal to new heights. Sherpa says that if government policies, private sector investment and Nepal's cultural-spiritual heritage can be coordinated, health tourism can become another gateway to economic transformation for Nepal.