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India To Focus On Medical Tourism At WTM
Jyoti Koul - New Delhi
India has recorded a growth of 15 per cent in tourist arrivals
in the first three quarters of 2005 and foreign exchange earnings have crossed
the US$ 4 billion mark. It has offered a much-required boost to Indian tourism,
which is now all geared up to welcome a much larger number of tourists. One
of the strategic marketing initiatives is to showcase India at the forthcoming
World Travel Market (WTM) to be held in London between 14 to17 November 2005.
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We will focus on a niche area that is medical tourism.
We have been allocated 32 sq. meters of space at the exhibition. India
will have 212 stalls of which 32 have been given to the hospitals. So
we will have a big participation this year and apart from Incredible India
campaign medical tourism will be promoted in a big way
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India will have a special pavilion and a special focus too.
According to Rajeev Talwar, additional director general, Ministry of Tourism(MoT),
Government of India, "We will focus on a niche area that
is medical tourism. We have been allocated 32 sq. meters of space at the exhibition.
India will have 212 stalls of which 32 have been given to the hospitals. So
we will have a big participation this year and apart from Incredible India campaign,
medical tourism will be promoted in a big way."
The tourism minister besides other senior officials from the ministry will lead
the Indian delegation and the representatives of the trade will also be present.
According to the industry sources, WTM 2005 will be a bigger
event compared to the previous years it is expected to register an increase
of about 30 per cent in exhibitor space. Therefore WTM, which is the biggest
B2B forum, provides a unique opportunity for the whole global travel trade industry
to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business.
The MoT is to announce the second phase of 'Atithi Devo Bhavah'
'Guest is God' programme at WTM. This new campaign is aimed at improving conditions
for tourists - treating them with respect, giving friendly service and offering
a clean and safe environment with price-branded services.
"Already 26,000 people working in the Indian tourism
industry have received the government funded ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’
training and tourists will be able to recognise these qualified personnel by
their badges," expressed Amitabh Kant, joint secretary, Ministry of Tourism,
Government of India.
In addition, the Rural Tourism Scheme will be launched with
the objective of showcasing the rural life, art, cultural and natural heritage
of village communities, especially in the art, crafts, handloom and textiles
areas, to enrich the visitor's experience. This initiative is expected to benefit
the 31 local communities, participating in the scheme and covering 21 states
of the country. A web site - www.exploreruralindia.org has been launched to
give more information to the visitors.
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Foreign visitors to India have reached an all time high
- up 15.6 per cent in the first half of 2005, compared to the same period
in 2004. Air travel statistics reflect this growth - up a massive 25 per
cent in the year 2004 - to date. The recent open skies policy has opened
up Indian international and domestic routes with a resulting influx of
new carriers, including low-cost airlines, operating in the region
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"Foreign visitors to India have reached an all time high
- up 15.6 per cent in the first half of 2005, compared to the same period in
2004. Air travel statistics reflect this growth - up a massive 25 per cent in
the year 2004 - to date.
The recent open skies policy has opened up Indian international and domestic
routes with a resulting influx of new carriers, including low-cost airlines,
operating in the region. Massive government investment will see Mumbai, Delhi
and main regional airports transformed in the next few years. Key airlines operating
to and within India will have representatives in the Indian Pavilion promoting
their services," said Kant.
Traditional Indian hospitality will prevail at WTM with visitors to the Indian
Pavilion being treated to refreshments and drinks. "Incredible !ndia has
been instrumental in increasing the number of tourists to India. Prior to the
campaign, we were solely dependant on the individual Indiatourism Offices marketing
efforts but we are now all working together in a concerted, focused and centralised
effort. The results are there for everyone to see and WTM will be the launch
pad for the next stage of Incredible!ndia," stated Kant.
Finally, senior members of the WTM Indian delegation will maximise their time
in London by attending the India Tourism Investment Forum, on Thursday 17th
November, organised by Commonwealth Business Council with support of Indian
High Commission and Indiatourism, Office, London. This forum will aim at promoting
more investment flows into tourism and aviation sectors in India.
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