Leisure and medical tourism development in India

Societies throughout the world are experiencing profound social and economic transformation, which produce significant changes in the time available to an individual over the course of his life.

Tourism is making tremendous headways in many countries including India. Growth of tourism brings benefits to an economy in a number of ways like income generation, employability, social and cultural exchange, mobilization of foreign currency as well as development of commerce. Due to its phenomenal growth, the Government of India has identified the potential of tourism as a large income generating source.

The innate desire to experience different places and cultures is the core of the tourism sector. Medical or health tourism in recent years has created a new avenue for growth of this sector in India. It is the fastest growing segment in” Destination India”today.This segment has tremendous potential for future growth in a vast and varied country like India.

 Medical or health tourism has become a common form of vacationing, and covers a broad spectrum of medical services. It mixes leisure, fun and relaxation together with healthcare .Many people from the developed world come to India for rejuvenation promised by yoga and Ayurvedic massages, but few consider it destination for hip replacement and brain surgery. However, a nice blend of top class practices and attractive prices is helping Indian Corporate hospitals lure foreign patients, including those from developed nation such as UK and US.

 This paper intends to highlight the key parameters in leisure and healthcare tourism and showcase some of the premier locations where leisure and medical tourism is growing .i.e. Kerala (India) .A combination of many factors has led to a recent increase in popularity of leisure and medical travel which are to be highlighted in the paper.