Revisiting the inner self in times of debilitating distress: gateways for wellness through spiritual tourism. (Special Issue: Tourism and spirituality: globally intensifying proclivity.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on our bodies, minds and souls. Having suffered it for more than a year now we know how crucial it is to tackle the pandemic at physical, psychological and spiritual levels. We have well-established Standard Operating Procedures alongside vaccines to deal with it at physical level, but equally crucial are mental and spiritual problems caused by COVID-19 (Chopra, 2020). This paper seeks to explore certain gateways and possibilities of dealing with distress, despair, anxiety, angst, trauma and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in diverse arenas of human activities to ascertain how crucial a role spiritual tourism plays in coping with the challenges we face today. It will also take into account mystical, sufic, yogic, ayurvedic and other meditational practices that represent the richly diverse cultural and spiritual heritage of India. These practices have substantial bearing on the tourism industry by connecting tourists with their deeper, inner selves and thus providing much required spiritual solace. The inclusive and integrative aspect of spiritual and other meditational practices in India will also be underscored to demonstrate how these have been influencing and benefiting the tourism industry in India. Besides enriching the lives of tourists from different countries of the world by providing inner peace and harmony, the tourism industry also equips them with coping strategies to effectively negotiate despair and inner conflicts.