Tourism News

Ayurveda getting popular among Germans

Published in Newsletter Issue No. 224 - April 2012

To overcome stress and pressures of routine urban life and to stay healthy, the Germans have found their panacea in Ayurveda. People above 50 years of age in Germany are taking to the Indian system of medicine for holistic well-being. The recently conducted workshop titled 'Ayurveda: wellness or medicine' at Munich helped to introduce Kerala's Ayurvedic traditions to the Germans. Organized by Kerala Tourism, the workshop aimed at creating a better understanding of Ayurvedic treatments and therapies.

"We presented Ayurveda to the German audience as there is an increasing demand among the people in Germany," said Mr. A. P. Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala.

 "Our data show that Germans constitute the highest number of foreigners coming to Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment. The promotional campaign on Ayurveda is a boost to Kerala's tourism possibilities in Germany," said Ms. Rani George, Director, Kerala Tourism who attended the workshop.

In Germany the demand for relaxation and stress-free life comes mostly from people above 50 years of age. Europe is the fastest ageing developed region in the world. This trend is due to the declining birth and death rates. Hence, there is an astounding growth for Ayurveda in the above 50-years category in Germany, which is having the largest above-50 year population in Europe.

An increasing number of foreign and domestic tourists arriving in Kerala spend their time for undergoing Ayurveda therapies. A lot of tourists look for stress relief, while many check into Ayurveda resorts to receive long-term health benefits and cure.

The workshop, held at the SEVA Academy in Munich also had demonstrations on Ayurvedic massage, Ayurvedic diet and Ayurvedic oils. Mr. Mark Rosenberg, chief executive officer, European Ayurveda Academy, Mr. Detlef Grunert, Ayurveda practitioner and sports medicine expert and Mr. Sylvie Peipe, a medical ethnologist and Ayurveda therapist were among the panel of experts at the workshop.