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[dropcap]N[/dropcap]ew Delhi: The Ministry of Tourism has recognized Medical and Wellness Tourism as Niche Tourism Products and offers various facilities as given below to promote India as a preferred destination as well as facilitate the visit of medical tourists to the country:
(i) The Ministry offers financial support as Marketing Development Assistance for Publicity and for organising Wellness and Medical Tourism Promotion shows as well as workshops/events/seminars to accredited Medical and Wellness Tourism Service Providers and Chambers of Commerce, etc.
(ii) A film on Medical Tourism has been produced in association with BBC and is used at various fora for promotional purposes.
(iii) Medical and Medical attendant visa has been introduced to streamline and ease the travel process of Medical Tourists. The e-tourist visa regime has also been expanded to include medical visits as well.
(iv) It has been decided to set up facilitation counters at the major airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru for tourists arriving on Medical Visas.
Apart from the above, the Department of Commerce and Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) has launched a Healthcare Portal www.indiahealthcaretourism.com in English, Arabic, Russian and French languages as a single source platform providing comprehensive information to medical travellers on the top healthcare institutions in the country.
A National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board has also been constituted under the Chairmanship of the Minister for Tourism to provide a dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of Medical and Wellness Tourism including Ayurveda and any other format of Indian system of medicine covered by Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH). The Board has members from the Ministries of Health, Commerce, External Affairs, AYUSH, Home Affairs, the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) as well as representatives from the major chambers of commerce, Hospitals and independent experts in the field of Medicine and Wellness. It works as an umbrella organization to promote this segment of tourism in an organized manner. The Board has formed sub-committees on visa issues, accreditation and standards and marketing and promotion. The Ministry of Tourism collates data regarding the arrivals on Medical and Medical Attendant visas provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Foreign tourist arrivals in India for medical purpose are in 2014: 1,84,298, 2015: 2,33,918 and 2016: 4,27,014.
This information was given by Shri K. J. Alphons, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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