India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) quoted a market research report “Booming Medical Tourism in India” to say 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 to become a $ 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 — a public-private partnership between Commerce Ministry and CII - “In addition to the existence of modern medicine, indigenous medical practitioners are providing their services across the country with more than 3,000 hospitals and 726,000 registered practitioners catering to the needs of the traditional Indian healthcare.
“A number of Indian hotels will tie up with professional organisations in a range of wellness fields to enter the wellness services market.”
