AN EMERGING DESTINATION FOR MEDICAL TOURISM: A STUDY OF INDIA

Medical tourism in India has emerged as the fastest growing segment of tourism industry. It has become a favored destination for people from all over the world for medical care and for various treatments. This paper presents the current scenario of Medical Tourism industry in India. It also highlights the reasons for increase in medical tourists in India. Furthermore, it presents the various initiatives taken by Government of India to promote medical tourism in the country. It has been found that for almost all treatments, India has cost advantages. Its price is the lowest among any nation in the world. Furthermore, Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has taken various steps to promote medical tourism in foreign markets. Medical visa is initiated for medical tourists and various international trade shows/ road shows are being organized by MoT. For development and growth of medical tourism industry, MoT also provides financial assistance to Medical Tourism Service Providers under Market Development Assistance (MDA) scheme.