By Mewati Sitaram
India has outlined a bold roadmap to position itself as the world’s most trusted destination for medical and wellness travel by 2035. At the Heal in India 2025 Medical & Wellness Tourism Summit, the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), in partnership with KPMG, launched its flagship report Heal in India: Catalysing Medical and Wellness Tourism for a Healthier Global Future. The summit, themed “Unlocking the Potential of Medical & Wellness Tourism,” brought together leaders from healthcare, hospitality, and policy.
Chief Guest Suman Billa, IAS, Additional Secretary & DG, Ministry of Tourism, stressed that India must integrate hospitals, hotels, and facilitators under one trust-based framework. Highlighting the sector’s growth potential as a USD 3 trillion global tourism economy emerges, he said, “We must demonstrate not just competence but care and compassion.” He urged expansion beyond Tier-I cities to smaller clusters, ensuring world-class patient care across the country.
Guest of Honour Dr. Manoj Nesari underlined India’s strength in Ayurveda, Yoga, and traditional medicine, calling for these systems to be branded globally. FHRAI President K. Syama Raju described Heal in India as a “nation branding opportunity,” while KPMG’s Someswara Koundinya termed the report a “call to action,” advocating integrated policy, digital health, and wellness initiatives to make India the “world’s healing capital.”
The report projects India’s medical tourism market to rise from USD 18.2 billion in 2025 to USD 58.2 billion by 2035, growing at 12.3% annually. India already attracts 2 million medical tourists yearly from 75+ countries, with over 463,000 medical visas issued in 2024. Ranked 10th in Medical Tourism and 7th in Wellness Tourism globally, India competes with Thailand, Turkey, and South Korea but differentiates itself with affordability and holistic care integrating Ayurveda, Yoga, and Panchakarma.
Strategic recommendations include creating national and state-level Heal in India missions, wellness clusters in Kerala, NCR, and Maharashtra, infrastructure expansion to Tier-II cities, and global branding through embassies and digital campaigns. The roadmap also calls for incentives like tax breaks, FDI facilitation, and health-tech innovation grants.
Industry leaders, including Prof. Minu Bajpai and Dr. Blossom Kochhar, emphasized clinical excellence and emerging niches like beauty and wellness-driven tourism. Wyndham Hotels’ Rahool Macarius confirmed hospitality’s readiness to deliver culturally sensitive, recovery-focused services.
The overarching message: India’s healthcare diplomacy is evolving from transactional care to transformational healing, making the country a trusted global destination for integrated recovery and long-term wellness.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
