Many years ago I met a gentleman from San Francisco, while we were both lounging around poolside at our Hua Hin condo complex, in Thailand. In the course of our conversation, he mentioned that he came to Thailand for some root canal work.

My mischievous reply was to the effect that it struck me as a rather long route to the dentist's office. He proceed to let me in on what was at that time still a pretty secret ritual. Medical services in Thailand were in fact even then so good, with the costs being so low, that it was less expensive for him to travel to Thailand for a few weeks, including the price of airfare, than to pay for the dental work back home in the States. Oh, and did I mention the few weeks lounging in Thailand? Not too many dentists back home threw that perk into their customer service package!

Following our conversation, I explored the matter further. It turned out that even back then there was a burgeoning tourism business bringing folks to Thailand precisely to benefit from its excellent but comparatively inexpensive medical services. Since that time, of course, the medical tourism business became a major phenomenon, almost as widely discussed as it is practiced. And many more countries have arisen as sought-after medical tourism destinations. Just last year, a friend traveled to Mexico to get his teeth capped.

It seems that this popular tourism boom trend has seen an offshoot in what is being called the wellness tourism business. As one rascal put it to me, think of it as the preventative care form of medical tourism.

While this might seem like an obvious spin-off of medical tourism, closer examination is more revealing. The wellness tourism trend is in fact a lot older. It's just been a bit off the grid - though not entirely.

Now, I know, for some of you, this is ancient history, but way back in the 60s, an international India-craze resulted when global phenomenon rock band, the Beatles, journeyed to India, seeking spiritual enlightenment and the mastery of meditation practices. Well, guess what, today, the current time in India is once more wellness time.

The combination of meditation, yoga, a thriving homeopathy sector and specialized healthy diets, such as ayurveda, have driven the world wide trend toward wellness oriented practices, in general, and India specifically. Even societies with no history of such traditions have seen notable uptakes in such practices. However new they may be anywhere else, though, such practices are firmly established, in some cases ancient, Indian traditions.

It should be no surprise to discover then that India is turning into a key player in the industry. It is in fact the most rapidly expanding international wellness travel destination. The country's projected growth in the industry presently stands at 22 percent annually. This growth rate dwarfs that of the current industry leader, the United States, which has an annual growth rate of less than 6 percent. India's up-and-comer status in the industry is pretty evident.

As we've seen, there's nothing new about India's spiritual retreats and spas, ashrams and gurus attracting international visitors. For the last half century, though, these visitors have been primarily hippies and other alternate lifestyle types. That's all changing, now, big time. Awareness of wellness as a central factor in a long, healthy and enjoyable life has grown among people all over the world. The result is that India's ancient wellness secrets have taken center stage.

Top destinations for the Indian industry include SwaSwara of Gokarna, the Ayurvedic Natural Health Center in Goa, and the Shreyas Yoga Retreat in Bangalore. Themes of meditation, yoga and ayurveda animate the wellness programs at these various locations. And a couple provide the perk of spectacular sunsets on the beach. (Even our favorite, modest little resort town, Varkala in Kerala , boasts a major ayurvedic experience.)

So, next time someone asks you what time it is in India, you can tell them, my friend, the current time in India is wellness time.