'Trained manpower needed for wellness tourism'

The Indian government is looking to raise trained manpower to meet the growing needs of the wellness tourism sector, which is fast-growing and recession-free, an official said Monday.

"Lack of skilled manpower is a major challenge faced by the wellness tourism sector. Untrained manpower would adversely affect quality of services offered to the tourists, the sector being recession-free with 20 percent growth rate over last year," said Girish Shankar, additional secretary in the tourism ministry.

"Proper strategies and policies for human resource development will have an effect on the industry," Shankar said at the fifth annual wellness conference organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Synergy should be struck between medical and wellness tourism, said Shankar.

"For many tourists, India is the favourite destination for medical tourism owing to the quality of healthcare. If wellness tourism gets synergised it will further increase the inflow of tourists. With ayurveda, yoga, panchkarma and rejuvenation therapies ... some traditional systems of medical treatment will attract more tourists."

In order to increase awareness about wellness tourism and to bring together various stakeholders on one platform, the tourism ministry is organising a Global Spa and Wellness Summit (GSWS) in October, he added.

"This summit will bring together leaders and visionaries to positively impact and shape the future of the global spa and wellness industries across the globe," Shankar added.