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From left: Santani Chief Executive Officer Vickum Nawagamuwage, Investor Chaminda Rajapakse and Marketing Consultant Niki Gomez
Slated to be opened in the last quarter of this year, Santani, Sri Lanka’s first wellness resort, will launch the first phase of the project in a 48-acre estate in Werapitiya, Kandy.
A novel approach and venture to cater to the rapidly growing segment of wellness tourism, Santani’s emphasis will be on mindfulness and rejuvenation, and will target high spending tourists and busy senior executives who seek mindful retreats for revitalisation.
Santani is an endeavour of Dumbara Hotels, a company of MAK Alliance Group. MAK Alliance is a group of companies who aims to introduce new concepts to the country as a way of investment.
Wellness tourism is the fastest growing segment in the tourism industry worldwide, showcasing a growth rate of 12% per annum compared to a 7% growth for the whole tourism industry. It represents the future of not only the tourism industry, but also the healthcare industry, which is currently experiencing a paradigm shift from curative treatment to preventive care.
Accordingly, the concept of wellness constitutes of a holistic approach that focuses on the harmony of physical, mental and spiritual aspects to prevent illnesses. Consisting of a $ 110 billion market, wellness tourism is predicted to undergo exponential growth owing to the changing market focus.
The launch of Santani is driven by the objective of exploiting the emerging market opportunities in wellness tourism, enhancing Sri Lanka’s product portfolio in the industry and most importantly creating awareness on the vitality of human sustainability.
Having identified the gap in the Sri Lankan market for a fully-fledged wellness resort destination catering to the sustainable mindful travel segment, the introduction of Santani is a timely measure that will take Sri Lankan tourism to the next level.
Countries such as Thailand, Bali and India in the Asian region has already identified the potential of wellness tourism and have thus created products focusing on this segment, states Vickum Nawagamuwage, Chief Executive Officer of Santani and Director of MAK Alliance.
He further said: “Sri Lanka holds the comparative advantage in the market because we have much to offer with the Buddhist culture, which predominantly signifies mindfulness, tranquil environment amidst lush greenery and our Ayurvedic heritage. As such, MAK Alliance identified the unfulfilled opportunity in the Sri Lankan wellness tourism segment, which culminated in the creation of Santani.”
At the core of Santani is the ideology that, ‘sustainability begins with the human’. It is only when humans as a race are sustained, will the environment can be sustained. Hence, the prime focus of this wellness resort is to introduce patrons to a lifestyle that helps them to discover themselves to be better individuals that thrive in everything they do.
“Owing to the advancement of technology, today we live in a world of seamless connectivity. While this has many benefits, it has also taken away the much needed emotional break at the end of a working day. There is a great imbalance in people’s lives where work has asserted its dominance over all other aspects of life. We believe it is high time to change that and revitalise ourselves and balance our lives in a fun way,” opines Vickum Nawagamuwage.
Santani introduces you to a lifestyle of mindful attitude, healthy eating and exercise that will help you to take a break from the metropolitan rush in a fun and totally relaxing setting. Here, significant attention is paid to detox your mind and body.
While relieving your body of the toxins that get collected due stress and lack of rest, ‘Digital detox’ or disconnection from the continuous flow of information through smartphones and other digital devices is also an integral aspect of Santani’s journey towards rejuvenation. Thus, you are encouraged to disconnect from technology to reconnect with each other, the environment around you and ultimately, yourself. The journey at Santani begins with the assessment of one’s own wellness goals that include both physical, and emotional aspects. The wellness leader at the resort will guide the clients throughout the process, ensuring that they will thrive and achieve their goals.
The programs offered by the resort, designed to have durations of seven to 21 days, are inclusive of components such as yoga, meditation, physical fitness, multiple types of massages, cleansing diets, excursions to explore the breathtaking surroundings in Kandy region and lifestyle workshops that will drive you towards achieving mindfulness and rejuvenation. Santani will also have the first ever hydrotherapy facility in the country. Moreover, the professional team of wellness experts at the resort will ensure that patrons receive a service — beyond mere pampering — that will aid in cleansing and calming their body and mind.
Step once into Santani and be in harmony with nature, with each other and ultimately with yourself. You will step out being a better ‘you’ in every aspect.
