Centre to promote medical tourism

The union tourism ministry has finalised fresh guidelines to promote the "untapped" market in medical tourism, an official said here Friday.

"We have finalised fresh guidelines to promote and market medical tourism by sufficiently incentivising tour operators and market facilitators to cash in on its hidden potential that hitherto stays untapped and unexplored," tourism secretary Parvez Dewan said.

He was speaking at the inauguration of "Medical and Wellness Tourism Summit -2014" here that was organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

According to Dewan, these incentives would also be extended to NGOs for the promotion of eco-tourism.

Without elaborating much, he said these incentives would comprise "part reimbursement of expenses, undertaken by tour operators and market facilitators to propagate medical tourism in India and overseas".

Apart from this, some amount will also be given to the market facilitators, undertaking travels to take part in symposium, seminar, trade fairs and other such activities beyond Indian boarders for promotion of Indian medical tourism.