Wellness Tourism in India: An Emerging Hub for Excellent Healthcare

Gone are the days when people used to rush towards western shores in the search for advanced healthcare services. The growing wellness tourism industry has witnessed an inverse flow of tourists from western countries to Asian countries for medical treatments. India tops the list of those Asian countries.

The industry of wellness tourism treatments in India is growing by leaps and bounds. As per the stats, India plays host to more than 150,000 medical tourists every year. The Indian healthcare industry is expected to become a US$280 billion industry by 2020.  Factors that have created such boom in the Indian medical tourism industry are affordable medical treatments, high-quality medical care, wellness tourism, appealing accommodation options, the highly skilled pool of medical professionals and world-class infrastructure of hospitals in India.

Let’s take a brief look at how these factors have resulted in India’s popularity as a healthcare destination:

1.                  Cost: According to various surveys, the cost of medical treatments in India is a fraction of the price that is charged by hospitals in western countries like the USA and the UK. It is estimated that a person can save up to 65-90% on healthcare treatments in India. For example, a heart bypass surgery will incur an expenditure of US$144,000 in the U.S., US$25,000 in Costa Rice, and only US$8,500 in India.

2.                  Wellness Tourism: The fusion of health care with traditional Ayurvedic techniques or Indian Spa is the biggest centre of attraction for the tourists coming here from across the globe. There are numerous wellness tourism packages in India offering those services at very affordable prices. Indian Spa industry boasts of almost 2,300 spas run by 20-25 spa centres that are spread over small and big towns. Birla Kerala Vaidyashala Ayurvedic Spa Services is one of the popular spa centres in the country.

3.                  Quality of Medical Care: The hospitals in India are now endowed with cutting edge technology and state of the art medical equipment. Apollo Group of Hospitals is one such name that has acquired excellence in medical treatments in India. With more than 54 hospitals across the nation, Apollo is Asia's largest healthcare group. With multiple branches across the nation, hospitals such as Max Hospitals in India, Fortis Group, Medanta, and Skin Alive are also serving the global populace with their impeccable health care services.

So that’s how the above-listed factors have contributed to the growth of medical tourism in India. India is an ideal destination for taking a break from the monotony and enjoying the exotic views along with having quality medical care.