Indigenous herbal wellness: A potent threshold towards growth of tourism business in Kashmir horizon, India

Indigenous herbal medicine, despite its deep cultural roots, remains undervalued in the development of wellness tourism. Kashmir, a biodiversity hotspot of India, possesses a rich heritage of medicinal herbs with traditional therapeutic uses recorded in folklore since ancient times. The Valley's floral diversity presents considerable potential for promoting herbal wellness tourism. This study was undertaken with three objectives: to examine the potential of indigenous bio-herbal heritage for wellness tourism in Kashmir; to highlight the traditional medical significance of herbs in treating various ailments; and to analyze the economic benefits of medicinal plants within the emerging herbal wellness tourism industry and its contribution to host communities. One-Way ANOVA and pooled interval plots has been executed to assess variance (StDev) among wellness market segments, while regression analysis with fitted line plots was employed to explore tourist arrival trends. Analytical evaluation was conducted through MINITAB-18 to ensure reliability. Findings reveal dynamic shifts in wellness travel behavior, with beauty care and nutritional care dominating market shares, followed by alternative therapy, fitness centers, and rejuvenation practices. The study concludes that indigenous herbal wellness traditions significantly influence tourist behavior and present opportunities for local economic development. Furthermore, the revival of traditional herbal healing practices not only strengthens cultural identity but also introduces a new research dimension in wellness tourism scholarship.