Following the footsteps of Kerala tourism industry, Himachal Pradesh is integrating tourism with Ayurveda treatment by setting up a hub of health tourism in north India.

For starters, the state has introduced Ayurveda treatment packages at three of its premium hotels—- Holiday Home Shimla, Tea Bud Palampur and Chail Palace, which will offer rejuvenating Panchkarma therapy massage to tourists, besides treatment for aliments such as chronic conjunctivitis, corneal ulcer, dry eye syndrome, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis and mental disorders.

The Panchkarma therapies for these ailments will be provided under expert guidance of doctors and trained staff of special Ayurveda centres being set up in the hotels.

Hotel Tea Bud at Palampur has been equipped to provide treatment for more serious aliments through therapies like Abhyangam for improving concentration and mind power and Netra-Tarpan for eye and mental disorders.

Special techniques developed and mastered by Ayurveda experts of Kerala—- Pizhichil and the ancient classical therapy Kayadhara—- have also been introduced for curing rheumatic diseases like arthritis, paralysis, hemiplegia and nervous disorders.

Sarvakaya Abhyangam, Shiro Dhara and skin treatments such as Triposha, Nalikerodakm and Kartatika Lepam are being offered at Shimla and Chail hotels.

Spokesperson of the Tourism department said since Himachal offers favourable climate for these therapies, combining tourism with Ayurveda treatment is receiving a very good response from tourists, even though the treatments carry a good cost.