2005-Boom time for tourism sector despite tsunami, bomb blasts

outlookindia.com | wired
M V MEENAKSHISUNDARAM NEW DELHI, DEC 23 (PTI)

It could have been the worst of times but turned out to be the best of times for the tourism sector of 'Incredible India' in 2005.

As the year dawned in the backdrop of the huge devastation caused by killer Tsunami which especially played a havoc in southern India, the outlook was nothing but bleak for the sector but it turned out to be otherwise.

Some western countries had sent travel advisories to their citizens to skip India in the wake of terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir or serial bomb blasts in Delhi, but the tourist boom continued as the year came to a close.

The 'Incredible India' has been a success story and India was among the top five favourite tourist destinations.

The foreign tourist arrivals recorded a quantum jump with over 33 lakhs till November this year, registering an increase of 3.5 per cent.

This was against a total of 29,59,850 foreign tourists visiting this country during the corresponding period last year.

In terms of foreign exchange earnings, the foreign tourist arrivals netted nearly Rs 22,958 crore during this period as against 19,112 crore during the corresponding last year.

Among the several steps taken to boost tourism during the year include medical tourism to make India as a major healthcare destination to target one million additional tourists by 2010 and a unique "Project Priyadarshini" to empower women in the tourism sector. To be launched in partnership with private sector, the medical tourism is expected to net an additional foreign exchange of Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore. Price banding and accreditation of Indian hospitals has been completed by the Tourism Ministry in collaboration with the medical industry.

Government has launched the medical visa for six months to allow one year stay for treatment in India. Efforts were also on to launch a campaign in overseas markets to project India as an attractive medical tourism destination.

As part of promoting 'Rural Tourism' to showcase the rural life, art and cultural heritage, Government has sanctioned Rs 50 lakh each for infrastructure development in 55 rural tourism destinations across the country.

In order to enhance and maintain the competitiveness of India as a prefered destination and to position India as a global brand, the Group of Ministers on Tourism recently recommended the visa-on-arrival for selected countries on an experimental basis in Delhi and Mumbai.

Medical Tourism targets additional 1 million tourists

Thursday, December 22, 2005

The Indian Ministry of Tourism has announced it will target an additional one million tourists by 2010 through medical tourism, and has already taken steps to promote India as a major health destination.

The Minster of State for Tourism Renuka Chowdhury said that collaboration with the medical industry, price bending of Indian hospitals has been completed to ensure uniform and reasonable prices for particular treatments.

Accreditation of hospitals to maintain the required international standards for treatment has also been completed.

Medical visas for six to one year stays for treatment in India have also been pushed, as the Ministry of Tourism for the first time took representatives of the Hospital Industry to attend the World Travel Mart in London.

Campaigns promoting India as an attractive medical tourism destination will soon be launched in overseas markets.

“India has strategic advantage in the healthcare area which include world class doctors and excellent health care infrastructure, coming up in private sector, availability of traditional Ayurvedic and other Indian health care wisdom along with the expertise of western medicine and competitive cost of the treatment which is almost one fifth of the western countries,” Ms Chowdhury said.

She said India receives medical tourists from over 55 countries for Cardiac surgeries, multi organ transplants like Renal, Liver, Heart, Bone Marrow Transplants.

Tour operators have been advised to include Ayurveda health destinations in their marketing ventures in view of the increasingly popular Ayurveda in Western countries.
The Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development and Parliamentary Affairs said that all precautions should be taken to promote healthcare destinations in the country to ensure high standards of services are met.

Kalam suggests Health Insurance for rural people

Parumala, Kerala: President A P J Abdul Kalam today suggested a cost-effective method of providing quality healthcare and a ''Health Insurance'' model for the rural people at an affordable cost, who become partners in the scheme.

''For providing comprehensive quality healthcare, we suggest citizens make a contribution of about Rs five per month and a matching Government contribution of about Rs five, which would lead to a consolidated health fund of Rs One crore per month for a population of ten lakh in certain rural clusters,'' he said while interacting with the doctors, researchers, paramedical staff and other members of the International Centre for Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Diseases here.

Pointing out that it was an extremely cost effective method of providing quality healthcare to the rural population, Mr Kalam said ''this unique Health Insurance Model will include an Information Communications Technology assisted Medical Advisory System and Health Awareness Education over and above quality medical and surgical treatment and services to all the people.'' He also asked the International Centre for Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Diseases to consider promoting such a scheme in the villages located around Parumala. ''The scheme can subsequently be made applicable to all the districts of Kerala by the Government,'' he added.

With India becoming a destination of medical tourism, Mr Kalam said the Ministry of Tourism had taken various steps to promote medical tourism in India with a view to making the country a prime destination by 2010.

''These efforts include accreditation of hospitals for international standards, offering Medical Visa from six months to one year stay, improvement of medical personnel expertise and even developing brochures and CD ROMs for marketing efforts to advertise these services to overseas markets.'' India was receiving patients from 55 countries to undergo cardiac operations, multi-organ transplants for liver, heart and bone marrow, he added.

from New Kerala.com