Medical and wellness tourism refers to activities related to the travel and hosting of foreign tourists who stay at least one night in the destination region for the purpose of maintaining, restoring, or improving health through medical intervention. This practice is gaining increasing prominence globally, with countries like India actively promoting themselves as destinations for medical value travel (MVT) and wellness.
Government Policies and Interventions on Medical and Wellness Tourism
To promote India as an MVT and wellness destination, the Ministry of Tourism has formulated a national strategy and roadmap for medical and wellness tourism. This policy seeks to establish a robust collaboration among the central and state governments and the private sector. Among the many key strategic pillars identified in the strategy are developing a brand for India as a wellness destination, strengthening the ecosystem for medical and wellness tourism, enabling digitalization through an online MVT portal, enhancing accessibility for MVT, and promoting wellness tourism.
Creation of New Agency: National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board
As part of this initiative, a new National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board will be created, with the Minister of Tourism serving as its Chairman. This board will provide a dedicated institutional framework to promote wellness and medical tourism.
SWOT Analysis of Medical Tourism in India
An analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of the medical tourism sector in India reveals that the country has many advantages such as world-class doctors and hospitals, cost-effective treatments, and a wide variety of tourism opportunities for medical value travelers. Furthermore, India is recognized for its traditional healthcare therapies such as Yoga, Ayurveda, and Naturopathy, complementing Western medicine expertise.
However, challenges persist. The MVT framework in India remains unorganized due to a lack of regulations governing the sector and quality monitoring, an absence of a nodal body to spearhead MVT, and lack of awareness about the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) accreditation at the international level, among other weaknesses. Despite these challenges, opportunities like demand from countries with aging populations, long waiting periods in developed countries, and India’s large diaspora present certain advantages for the sector.
Steps to Promote Medical and Wellness Tourism
To promote India as a destination for medical and wellness tourism, the Ministry of Tourism has released global print, electronic, and online media campaigns under the ‘Incredible India’ brand line. The introduction of ‘Medical Visa’, ‘E-Medical Visa’ and ‘E-Medical Attendant Visa’ for 156 countries have facilitated foreign travelers seeking medical treatment in India. Moreover, financial assistance is provided under the Market Development Assistance Scheme to medical tourism service providers accredited by NABH for participation in Medical/ Tourism activities.
Major Schemes in Support of Medical and Wellness Tourism
The Ministry of Tourism has introduced other major schemes to encourage tourism in the country. This includes the Iconic Tourist Sites Initiative, DekhoApnaDesh Campaign, PRASHAD Scheme, and Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
Envisioning the Future: ‘One India, One Tourism’
Moving forward, tourism requires collective efforts, cooperation, and coordination between multiple ministries and states. A ‘One India, One Tourism’ approach will facilitate this, allowing a seamless experience for travelers. Promoting ease of tourism, standardizing interstate road taxes and making them payable at a single point will also help facilitate the ease of doing business.
