Medical Tourism to become USD 2.4 billion industry by 2012: IBEF

According to a PTI report, India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a public-private partnership between Ministry of Commerce and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), recently quoted a market research report ‘Booming Medical Tourism in India’ stating that despite the economic slowdown, Medical Tourism in India is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry.

Medical Tourism, which encompasses spa, is estimated to grow 29 per cent between 2009 -12 and become a USD 2.4 billion industry by 2012. To man this boom, Delhi-based IHHR Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. that promotes Ananda Spa in the Himalayas, has set up the Ananda Spa Institute that imparts a 200-hour teacher training certification programme. But there are no government defined standards for this growing industry.

According to the IBEF in addition to the existence of modern medicine, indigenous medical practitioners are providing their services across the country at more than 3,000 hospitals and 7, 26,000 registered practitioners catering to the needs of the traditional Indian healthcare. The report also said that a number of Indian hotels will tie up with professional organisations in a range of wellness fields to enter the wellness services market.