In a
first of its kind initiative, the
Indian
government will be giving tourist visas to those
foreigners interested in undergoing short term courses
in Yoga in India. Presently, tourist visas are given only to foreign
nationals who
come to our country for sightseeing or casual visit. The new
arrangement is part of the series of initiatives the government is
taking to promote the ancient Indian art of Yoga across the world.
Goa being one of the favourite destinations of international
tourists, already has a number of successfully running Yoga centres,
where foreign nationals actively take part in training sessions,
especially at the beachside. It is speculated that the new initiative
will also help promote medical tourism in Goa.
Nishita
Tambe, the proprietor of Prati Yogayana, Panjim,
says,
“There are not many tourists who come to Goa for the sole purpose
of learning Yoga, however, Yoga is an important agenda on their
trip.” She feels that now that this new initiative has
been launched, it would be possible to promote tourist activity
specifically centred around Yoga. “Yoga is a great ancient
knowledge that we have. It does not just give you physical,
mental and emotional well-being,
but also leads to spiritual evolution. There are many people from
other countries who are interested in coming to India to learn Yoga.
We could very well start a programme like ‘Come to Goa to learn
Yoga’, now that the
government has
made it easier for those willing to learn Yoga in our country,”
suggests Tambe.
Cyril
Yogi, who runs Cyril Yoga Ayurveda Centre
in Calangute,
says that a significant number of tourists coming to Goa are willing
to learn Yoga. “My classes are always full of foreign students.
Even during the tourist season, I get many foreigners who come to Goa
just to attend my classes, but their number is much lower as compared
to other seasonal tourists. I think Yoga is gaining more popularity
world over with each passing day. People from different countries
want to learn Yoga and India offers them some of the best Yoga
instructors and training centres. Getting visa easily and being able
to learn Yoga on a tourist visa itself will draw more foreigners to
our state for Yoga only. Also, people who come to learn Yoga would
come here during off-season time, too. This will help promote tourism
throughout the year,” maintains Cyril.
In
the
words of
Nikhil Desai, Managing Director of Goa Tourism Development
Corporation (GTDC), the new initiative of the Government of India is
surely a “welcome news”. “We are already promoting Goa as a
wellness destination. We have seen Kerala taking advantage of medical
tourism successfully and wish to avail its benefits in Goa as well,”
he opines. Suggesting further, he adds, “Presently, the tourists
get a 30-day single entry visa. A proposal has been put forward to
extend it to 60 days. We wish to promote not only the traditional
forms of treatment like Ayurveda and Yoga, but also a
conventional
system of medication so that we could also invite people from Africa
and Middle-Eastern countries to Goa for medical facilities.”
From
the viewpoint of Namrata Menon,
the proprietor of World of Yoga, for most of the tourists who come to
our country, it’s a kind of a package deal. “Most of the tourists
combine learning Yoga with other tourist activities. Nowadays, Yoga
training is available at a number of places across the world. But
it’s the cultural experience they get in our country that
urges them to
come to Goa and India to learn Yoga. But sometimes, just a
one time visit
isn’t enough for them to learn everything. They might want to come
again specifically for taking a higher level course. Thus, the new
government initiative will help both the
tourism as
well as medical and Yoga sector in Goa,” she feels.
