New report on Kerala highlights medical tourism potential

Kerala is the leading state in India for tourism, but for medical travel it has only 5 to 10% of the Indian market. Kerala Medical Value Travel Society (KMVTS) has been formed to showcase health and medical tourism across Kerala.

Kerala is the leading state in India for tourism, but on medical travel it has only 5 to 10% of the Indian market, says a new report by Grant Thornton and the Confederation of Indian Industry. Kerala is losing out to Chennai, Mumbai and other regions.

The report suggests that India’s medical tourism market could double by 2020 and one problem with Kerala could be lack of internationally accredited facilities.
But it admits that such accreditation plays little or no part for the majority of Indian medical tourists. Most people going to India are from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with the latter mostly being Asian or African expatriates. India is not attractive to Western Europeans or Americans.

Cost is the factor that drives most people to India, which is why Bangladesh and Afghanistan dominate with a third of all medical tourists between them. Africa and the Gulf and Eastern Europe are also cost dominated and account for another third of the business.

The report suggests that while Kerala may seek to get medical tourists from other regions, the best potential is in Asia, Africa and from other parts of India.

Kerala Medical Value Travel Society (KMVTS) has been formed to showcase health and medical tourism across Kerala.

Another report for the Confederation of Indian Industry by McKinsey says that most medical tourists to Kerala come from the Maldives and the biggest problem is lack of air connectivity.