PROMOTION OF WELLNESS TOURISM IN AYURVEDA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PANCHAKARMA OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC- A REVIEW

Abstract

Ayurveda, science of healing and rejuvenation, gained global attraction over the years. Today world is searching of systems of natural healing for strengthen and boost up immune system of human body for fighting against viral infectious diseases for instance corona pandemic on going globally. Sri Lanka has been achieved great destination for medical tourism recently, due to several pull factors such as easily accessible residential hotels with excellent Ayurve-da and indigenous treatment at low cost with hospitality. Among these preventive and cura-tive medical services, Panchakarma and Purva Karma are considered high demand among tourists with various fumigations methods such as using powders of air dried herbal plants; Osimum tenuiflorum, Vitex negundo, Justicia adathoda and Eucalyptus globulus, Azadirachta indica and Brassica jounce to be used. The objectives of this study were to re-view procedure of introducing Dietary and Panchakarma and Purva Karma in Ayurveda for immunity boosting treatment for management in related to COVID- 19, to apply Panchakarma to prevent cross contamination and transmission of COVID- 19 virus to make sure the health and safety for tourist against COVID- 19 and to identify the process to pro-mote wellness tourism by using Panchakarma procedure. This study was carried out as a survey study and data were collected from 10 health resorts in Sri Lanka. Collected informa-tion which related to Panchakarma treatment modalities, Hotels and Spa operations, with the standards of Sri Lanka tourism development authority (SLTDA) and WHO statistics. Sri Lanka reopened its boundaries on 21st January 2021, European arrivals was 85.7 % and con-sidering first two months of the year arrivals tumbled by 98.8%. As per the survey it has re-vealed Panchakarma modalities could be implemented in various aspects of based on im-munity boosting treatments and management based on to prevent cross contamination and transmission of virus at the hotels, Spas, domestic clinics using Poorva karama treatments. It can be concluded that the Panchakarma can be applied with health and safety measures for management and prevention of COVID 19 and other epidemics in order to promote wellness tourism in Sri Lanka