Ayurveda spas send SOS

However,the Ayurveda industry is facing a piquant situation– lack of adequate qualified and trained personnel.

India alone needs 20,000 trained therapists while the mushrooming Ayurvedic spas in the US,Germany,Russia,Singapore and Malaysia and West Asian countries would need trained hands numbering several lakhs,CII sources here said.

‘For the next few years,the industry’s annual requirement of trained therapists would exceed 20,000. The problems is of lack of quality hands. There is a huge gap between the demand and supply,says Dr S Sajikumar,Managing Director,Dhathri Ayurveda Private Ltd.

Dhatri plans to recruit about 2000 personnel to meet the immediate expansion plans,he said. The company,which would soon extend its Ayurvedic Beauty and Slimming (ABS) clinic to various parts of India and Middle East,was hunting for 160 Ayurvedic physicians,60 pharmacists,1200 female and male therapists,100 beauticians,100 physiotherapists,300 dieticians,100 managers and 100 sales representatives besides 60 support staff,he said.

The spas and wellness clinics are mainly to attract the floating population,including tourists. Kerala Ayurveda has wellness clinics at Bangalore,Delhi,Gurgaon,Coimbatore and Hyderabad,which is mainly frequented by the IT crowd.

Globally the wellness industry is estimated at over US$250 billion. There are about 75,000 standard spas world over that provide direct employment to about 1.5 million people,according to CII sources.

The spa industry has witnessed substantial growth in the last decade and the spa concept has become a significant part of the dynamic hospitality and leisure industry,the sources said.

In India there were over 2300 spas that have created direct and indirect employment for about 4 lakh people. In the next four years,700 new spas,both homegrown and international brands,will open in India to meet the growing demand,the sources said.

Destination/Hotel spas is another growing category where spas can contribute up to 15 per cent of a hotel’s revenue and in some cases in the second fastest income generation in the hotel after rooms.

At present,India has around 20-25 major spa centres,most of them spread in the southern states– Kerala,Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Besides there are 3400 AYUSH hospitals in the country and 12 yoga hospitals also,Saji Kumar said.

The wellness services market here was expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 30-35 per cent for the next five years. There was increased demand for qualified staff with supervisory and management skills relevant to the management of spa facilities. There were also international career prospects for students in resorts,spas,wellness centers,he said.

The demand for Ayurvedic doctors and Ayurvedic chemists is skyrocketing. Presently,there are over 6 lakh registered Ayurvedic practitioners,he said.

But considering the growing popularity of the market,which comprises about 15,000 Ayurvedic and herbal products worth Rs 6000 crore and over 20,000 Ayurvedic drugs manufacturing pharmacies,there was acute requirement of trained manpower,he said.

Yash Birla group owned Birla Kerala Vaidhyashala (BKV) also plans to open 200 new Ayurvedic treatment centres within five years across cities in India with a Rs 50 crore investment.

The group would have its spa centres across Kerala,Goa,Mumbai,Bangalore,Kolkata and Chennai,Harshajeet Kuroop,Managing Director,said.

The BKV specialises in offering treatments for lifestyle and chronic health disorders with herbal medicines and oils prepared in-house. Ayurvedic rejuvenation packages and day spa procedures will also be available.