The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine organized a workshop yesterday to explore the possibility of working together to evolve a new concept ‘ayurvedic tourism’.


Ayurvedic Tourism seems to become a booming industry in the region. Large numbers of Westerners are growing disenchanted with the high cost of healthcare of their Allopathic system of medicine and its many side effects. The growing emphasis the world over is now on natural/herbal and holistic methods of healing and the ancient science of Ayurveda, which fulfills all these requirements, is gaining widespread popularity.


The practice of indigenous medicine in the country which span for several millennia has now got a new lease of life due to growing global interest and both ministries have decided to set up a new framework of standards to increase the level of professionalism within the industry so as to better serve the more sophisticated foreign clientele.


A new committee has been set up by Minister of Tourism Milinda Moragoda with the task of setting standards and conducting workshops for Ayurvedic practioners and therapists to improve their professionalism and teach them how to deal with the Tourist and the committee invited ancient science of Ayurveda and members of the Tourism industry.

This new form of tourism is expected to produce a lot of jobs and earn more foreign exchange for the country said the Minister Tissa Karraliyadda in his key note address at the opening session of the workshop.