Ancient Medicinal Plants Poised to Illuminate Bali’s Wellness Tourism Sector

Bali Invests in Traditional Healing Plants for a Flourishing Wellness Tourism Industry
Over the upcoming years, Bali is directing substantial investments into medical health and wellness tourism.

With the imminent launch of the Bali International Hospital in Sanur and a focused push on promoting cultural richness and sustainable tourism, visitors in pursuit of relaxation and rejuvenation are in for an exceptional treat. The former governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, has passed a set of decrees ensuring the collaboration between medical professionals and traditional healers to establish and integrate healthcare systems across the province.

This integrated health approach will harmoniously blend Western medicine with traditional Balinese healing practices, catering to both local communities and tourists.

In early 2024, Bali will celebrate the opening of the long-awaited Bali International Hospital in Sanur. This ambitious international healthcare project is expected to position Bali as a leading medical tourism destination in Southeast Asia.

The hospital aims to draw private Indonesian patients as well as medical tourists from all corners of the globe.

Surrounding the Bali International Hospital will be a medicinal garden, boasting thousands of healing plants that have served to promote health and recovery in Bali and throughout the archipelago for centuries.

Herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, and plants with healing properties have always been pivotal in the Balinese family medicine cabinet and are now set to play a key role in Bali’s health and wellness tourism landscape in the years to come.

Despite being famous for its beachside vacations and vibrant party scene, Bali is witnessing a growing demand for health and wellness experiences among tourists. This spans from massages to juice detoxes, yoga classes, meditation sessions, and holistic mind-body-soul reset retreats.

A recently launched program called Ethnowellness of the Archipelago, unveiled in August, focuses on highlighting health, fitness, and wellness experiences inspired by the traditional wellness and health principles of diverse ethnic groups in Indonesia.

During the launch of the promotional campaign, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, the Head of the Bali Tourism Office, emphasized Bali’s ability to provide world-class health and wellness experiences that cater to tourists’ needs. From spas and retreats to yoga schools, farm stays, and healthy restaurants, even tourists visiting Bali for other reasons inevitably engage with the wellness sector.

Looking ahead, tourists can anticipate a wider range of traditional medicinal herbs available in hotels, restaurants, cafes, and spas, as well as for purchase as souvenirs or additions to their own medicine cabinets at home.

Bali’s leaders aspire to see traditional Balinese medicinal products readily accessible in the international marketplace. Local businesses like Bukit Hexon are devoted to showcasing the best of Balinese healing herbs to tourists.

Collaborating with Balinese souvenir shops, such as the well-known Krishna Oleh-Oleh souvenir shop in bustling resorts across the island, Bukit Hexon aims to make it effortless for tourists to take home a piece of Bali’s healing magic.

Bukit Hexon is among the few businesses in Bali that have acquired licenses to categorize their healing herbs as medicinal. Operating as Bukit Hexon, PT Karya Pak Oles Tokcer grows all the tea ingredients in Bengkel Village in the north of Bali. The Bokashi Teas, the brand’s three herbal drinks, each possess distinctive medicinal properties.

According to Bukit Hexon, their Chinese Teak Leaf Tea aids in digestive ailments, the Mahkota Dewa Tea serves as an effective painkiller, and the Red Ginger Tea helps reduce inflammation within the body. The brand, active since 1997, has gained popularity among Indonesian locals nationwide and an increasing number of foreigners as well.