Singapore is a pioneer in mental health tourism, opening 16 therapeutic gardens to soothe visitors with autism, dementia, anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). By 2030, it plans to have 30 free gardensdesigned with the contribution of scientists to gently stimulate the human senses of smell, touch, taste, hearing and sight, says the National Parks Board (NPB) of Singapore.
Unique features include ultraviolet light mazes, confidence-building gazebos, memory-triggering panels, immune-boosting horticultural zones and wheelchair obstacle courses, NPB says. The layouts were influenced by neuroscientists and psychologists, who studied the brain activity of 92 visitors to Singapore’s first therapeutic garden, Hort Park. They found that this site provided greater mental health benefits than regular gardens, helping improve mood, regulate emotions, reduce stress and reduce body inflammation.
Therapeutic gardens are a public health measure and the key to the Singapore goal aim to become one of the world’s leading wellness destinations. In the tourism sense, wellness often simply refers to spa treatments, with Singapore’s approach being more scientific. Art therapy galleries, flotation treatment centers, healing light studios and healing parks are among the unique attractions that Singapore has launched or offeredsaid Carrie Kwik, executive director of the Singapore Tourism Board.
Singapore strengthens its ecotourism appeal
Green tourism is already a calling card of this rich Asian city-state. Travelers land at Singapore Changi Airport to see a 131 foot indoor waterfall hemmed by thousands of plants. National Orchid Garden Singapore highlights the country’s status as a leading exporter of orchids. Mandai Wildlife Sanctuary is home to lush attractions such as the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Bird Paradise and River Wonders. And 10 million tourists per year visit its distinctive gardens by the bay, a giant botanical installation famous for its bold architecture and powered with renewable energy.
It is unlikely that therapeutic gardens will ever achieve this popularity, but Singapore sees them as a forward-thinking tourism strategy. Ranging in size from 0.15 to 1.5 acres, the gardens were spear in 2016, with the most recent opening in December 2024.
Visitors to the gardens, scattered across this small country, discover wheelchair-accessible paths that pass through dense arrangements of carefully chosen plants. Variously fragrant, medicinal, edible species, with bright colors or a complex texture, to awaken the five senses, explains the NPB. Other plants attract butterflies and birds which, along with water features, enhance the visual and sound appeal of gardens.
Garden tours can ease dementia
Tourists suffering from dementia, anxiety or depression can benefit from the horticulture sections in several therapeutic gardens, Medical research in Singapore watch. Relaxing tasks such as planting herbs, watering flowers and pressing leaves are possible at Yishun Pond Park, Punggol Park, West Coast Park and Sembawang Park. This research found that such activities improved the composition of participants’ immune cells. This, in turn, may alleviate symptoms of certain neurological and mental health disorders.
At the same time, garden decorations linked to bygone eras help awaken memories in visitors with dementia, explains the NPB. The Jurong Lake Gardens are embellished with iconic photos, signage, toys from Singapore’s past and built-in chess boards like those found in the country’s old housing estates.
(Related: Dementia-friendly tourism is on the rise: here’s why it’s so important.)
Designed to calm neurodiverse children
Children with autism or ADHD are also welcomed at Jurong Lake Gardens. The special feature of its children’s section is a maze with a path that glows in the evening because it is made of minerals that absorb ultraviolet light during the day. Unlike aggressive spotlights, this soft lighting creates a soothing and magical decor.
Neurodiverse tourists can also enjoy Singapore’s largest therapeutic garden, at West Coast Park. Informed by scientific research, this seaside space is dotted with small mounds. Each acts as an observation point, allowing autistic visitors to pause, examine the layout of the garden and navigate it with more confidence, says NPB.
The therapeutic garden at Sembawang Park has also been set up to comfort autistic children. Nestled within this 0.55 acre site is a forestry classroom for listening to bird calls. Nearby is an “edible garden” for picking and tasting herbs and spices, which stimulates not only smell, taste and touch, but also children’s hand-eye coordination, according to the NPB.
To help visitors with ADHD, Sun Plaza Park has activity spaces as well as relaxation areas, according to the NPB. After using the park’s play equipment, they will be able to calm down in relaxation areas, quieter and shaded nooks with fragrant plants with renowned soothing properties, such as ylang-ylang.
(Related: Here’s How Parks and Public Lands Are Becoming More Autism-Friendly.)
Science Shows Therapeutic Gardens Work
Visiting these therapeutic gardens can provide various mental health benefits, according to a study. Study 2022 by scientists from the universities of Singapore, Japan and Poland. They analyzed the brain activity of dozens of adults during their visits to three locations in Singapore: a bustling urban area, a rooftop green space and a HortPark therapeutic garden. Overall, participants displayed the healthiest neurological activity when in the therapy space.
The Punggol Park Therapy Garden features the first outdoor wheelchair obstacle course and the first inclusive agility course located in a therapy garden, used for both physiotherapy and recreational purposes. Photograph courtesy of the National Parks Board
“People have a natural affinity with nature, and exposure to nature reduces arousal and stress,” says Sophianne Araib, group director of the National Parks Board of Singapore. “Exposure to nature has also been shown to promote smoother brain function, leading to the recovery of our attention and cognitive abilities. »
(Related: You’ve heard of forest bathing. Try forest therapy now.)
An increase in mental health tourism
Singapore’s therapeutic gardens represent a global shift towards designing tourism facilities that benefit mental health, says Jun Wen, professor of tourism at Macau University of Science and Technology. Magnifying glass co-published research, based on interviews with more than 100 people with dementia, which says travel can ease their symptoms, by providing cognitive and sensory stimulation from new sights, smells, tastes and social encounters.
He believes tourism can also alleviate anxiety and depression through eco-friendly attractions, such as Singapore’s therapeutic gardens. “Such initiatives demonstrate how travel could evolve beyond leisure and leisure to become a meaningful intervention to improve mental health,” says Wen.
Singapore’s therapeutic gardens reinforce its reputation as an accessible and eco-friendly destination, says Associate Professor Kuan-Huei Lee, a tourism expert from the Singapore Institute of Technology. It is one of the greenest cities in the worldat least 46 percent covered by green spacesthanks to the impact of Singapore Government’s 60 Year Greening Project.
(Related: Here’s How Planning a Trip Can Improve Your Mental Health.)
Singapore invests heavily in green attractions
Launched in 1963, this national campaign aimed to prevent Singapore’s rapid urbanization from becoming a concrete jungle. Instead, it would create a “garden city”. This project was run by thousands of volunteers and involved planting public trees, building hundreds of community gardens and creating eco-friendly attractions like Gardens by the Bay and healing gardens.
The Singapore Tourism Board has announced plans to open a new major wellness attraction near Gardens by the Bay, calling for public proposals related to art therapy, flotation or light therapy, saying they want “concepts that can have a positive impact on physical, emotional or mental well-being.”
“With the growing demand for more restorative and wellness-related experiences, we believe Singapore is well-positioned to become a leading urban wellness destination that prioritizes holistic well-being” says Carrie Kwik, executive director of the Singapore Tourism Board.
The new Singapore theme is the same Naturalist Night Adventures Tour on its tropical island of Sentosa. This experience offers calm, peace and soothing sensory stimulation in a jungle setting, says Singapore Tourism Board Senior Vice-President Eileen Lee. During this guided tour, visitors explore a rainforest in the dark, using their keen senses of sound, touch and smell to identify exotic flora and fauna.
This is another element of Singapore’s evolving mental health tourism strategy. An innovative approach, centered on therapeutic gardens, which aims both to care for its residents and to welcome foreign visitors suffering from autism, dementia, anxiety or ADHD.