Tourism Industry in India: A Study of Medical Value Travel

Medical Value Travel popularly known as Medical Tourism is an emergent phenomenon which not only entails economic benefits but also healthcare concerns. It involves patient leaving their home country to access cross border medical care abroad. The paper provides a brief review of Medical Tourism Industry, its service spectrum and consumer profile, growth in Healthcare sector, flow of Foreign Tourist arrivals for medical purposes, country-wise cost comparisons of medical treatment and factors that attract country as tourism destination. The paper covers wide collection of academic literature on medical tourism which emphases research on diverse disciplines. The paper recognizes various strengths of India’s medical tourism industry and points out number of weaknesses which can reduce the growth opportunities of the industry. The paper aims to identify key threats and opportunities possessed by Indian Medical tourism sector which enable it to overcome various barriers to upgrade its services. Finally, the paper analyzes and concludes some key findings and suggestions.