Status and Growth Potential of Medical Tourism

Development and promotion of tourist destinations and products, including medical tourism is undertaken by the respective State Government/Union Territory (UT) Administration.

The Ministry of Tourism promotes India in a holistic manner, through various initiatives. As part of on-going activities, promotion of medical & Wellness tourism, is also taken up.

The Ministry of Tourism has not conducted any study to assess the current status, key challenges and growth potential of medical tourism in India. The Ministry of Tourism does not maintain data on State wise purpose wise Foreign Tourist Arrivals and revenue earned due to medical tourism.

As per the Bureau of Immigration (BOI), the total year-wise Foreign Tourist Arrivals for medical purpose during last 5 years are given below:

             (P): Provisional

In order to provide impetus to the growth of Medical and Wellness tourism in India and maintain India’s competitive advantage, Ministry of Tourism formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism and circulated to concerned Central Ministries, State Governments and Industry Stakeholders.

The Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) under the Ministry of Commerce has developed a comprehensive website viz., http://www.indiahealthcaretourism.com which provides information on accredited hospitals and wellness centres, visa, healthcare providers etc. The Ministry of Tourism has provided a link to this portal on its official websites.

To facilitate the visit of foreign nationals to come to India for medical treatment, the Government of India has extended e-medical visa/ e-medical attendant visa facility.

This information was given by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.