When mentioning spiritual tourism, people think about visiting sacred places and obtaining objects that bring fortune. However, spiritual trips created by Sook -- an enterprise from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation -- were designed to help travellers learn about Thai art, architecture and the meaning of symbols that adorn various places. The activities are specifically tailored for travellers and aim to enhance their knowledge and discover their inner selves.
Travellers learn about Thai art, architecture and the meaning of symbols. Photos courtesy of Sook Enterprise
Sook's first spiritual project was called Yueanyon Montra Matukam Poed Kandernthang Sue Huajai Mae, or Visiting The Feminine Mythical World: Unveiling The Path To The Heart Of The Motherland, which took place earlier this year. Under this title, Sook organised five different spiritual trips which included a visit to Bangkok, Thon Buri, Ayutthaya and Lop Buri.
Phaswan Sangasubana, the director of Sook Enterprise, said the theme of the first spiritual trip was that venues are not the final destination, but starting points of immense knowledge and self-discovery.
"According to the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, the dimensions of well-being involve physical, emotional, intellectual and social aspects. Well- being can be easily achieved if people take good care of their bodies and minds. At Sook, we used to provide knowledge on enhancing well-being in the form of workshops, but these workshops were more like classrooms. Therefore, we combined and designed travel routes to accompany different workshops on healthy cuisine, yoga and tai chi," said Phaswan.
People who want to know more about spiritual trips can attend the talk "Spiritual Tourism Presented By Suphap Deerattana", a guide who specialises in art and culture. He is a guide with a sense of humour, which makes the trip more entertaining. The forum, which will take place at Lido 1 on Saturday, is one of the many activities at Soul Connect Fest -- an event organised by 70 networks within the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.
Travellers learn about Thai art, architecture and the meaning of symbols. (Photos courtesy of Sook Enterprise)
"Spiritual Tourism will introduce attendees to routes which are being designed for next year. Sook organised this talk to help people understand its products and services better. Our trips are not limited to only spiritual journeys as other kinds involve wellness, food, body and mind. As a small enterprise, Sook has to find more partners who can understand its objectives and the way trips are designed, so that they are not overly commercial," explained Phaswan.
Sook's first spiritual project was successful. After the trips, participants shared their appreciation by word of mouth and many organisations contacted Sook to design trips for them.
"We believe that the pain points of customers lead to specific requests, and are related to people feeling stressed and wanting to heal their minds. Many people are interested in anti-ageing, so they seek to take care of their health and beauty. These people maintain a healthy diet and control their weight. We want to create wellness trips and physical activities tailored to their needs. Another reason for specific requests our ageing society. Elderly people have financial resources and time to spare," Phaswan said.
After the initial trip, Sook organised another excursion for executives of the Office of the Prime Minister, aged between 30 to 50. Phaswan explained that Sook designed each trip based on information regarding budget, the goal of the group and the profiles of target travellers.
"We tailor each trip to suit travellers. The theme of this trip revolved around good governance and corporate ethics because the travellers were executives involved with decision-making. We integrated this theme with the routes in Kanchanaburi, where travellers learned about history and moral values. In Thai history, Kanchanaburi was a site of both positive and negative events. The trip also incorporates wellness content, offering insights into non-communicable diseases and promoting a high-fibre and low-carb diet."
Suphap Deerattana, a speaker at the talk forum 'Spiritual Tourism'. (Photo: Sook Enterprise)
Phaswan Sangasubana, the director of Sook Enterprise. (Photo: Sook Enterprise)
As the excursion is labelled a spiritual trip, many people assume that it must involve meditation. However, Phaswan clarified that the trip does not primarily focus on meditation.
"Meditation is not mandatory, but there are moments at temples when travellers have the opportunity to close their eyes for 10 to 20 minutes. Travellers can practise mindfulness and engage in self-reflection. We provide some questions and then they then reflect and attempt to achieve self-realisation," said Phaswan.
It was a surprise to learn that many one-day trips in Bangkok designed by Sook are popular even though travellers can easily visit these temples and venues by themselves. Phaswan explained that despite being familiar with these venues, Bangkokians do not know about them in detail.
"There are many unseen venues in Bangkok people take for granted and people lack knowledge about the art and architecture of these places. Sook organised trips in Bangkok to show that although people might believe that leaving the city for a quiet province will help, they are quite capable of achieving mindfulness in the city. Sook also offers trips that start in Bangkok and venture out of town, before returning, allowing participants to reconnect with the life they have to live and their adventures," she said.
Despite receiving positive feedback from travellers, there are many requests for Sook to create different kinds of trips.
"Many organisations are requesting visits to educational and demonstration venues. Some people wanted us to create routes centred around food education where they can learn about the process from farm to table for organic farms. The Thai Health Promotion networks established multiple sandboxes for learning spaces, so Sook plans to promote these sandboxes. We are considering the integration of spiritual trips with medical and wellness tourism. In addition to leisure activities and sightseeing, there will be workshops for rehabilitation and health enhancement. However, these projects require further discussion," she said.
Travellers learn about Thai art, architecture and the meaning of symbols. (Photos courtesy of Sook Enterprise)
The director of Sook hopes that Thais will consider spiritual trips as one solution for better mental health.
"Many Thais struggle with mental health issues. Spiritual trips are a form of slow pace travelling which can help you to engage in self-reflection. Spiritual trips offer solutions, bring people with similar issues together and give them opportunities to make new friends. These trips can heal the mind and be a solution for travellers," concluded Phaswan.
Travellers learn about Thai art, architecture and the meaning of symbols. Photos courtesy of Sook Enterprise
Suphap Deerattana, a speaker at the talk forum 'Spiritual Tourism'. Sook Enterprise