core sector communique

Subodh Kant Calls for Strengthening Wellness Tourism in the Country

Union Tourism Minister Shri Subodh Kant Sahai has called for strengthening wellness tourism in the country. Speaking on the occasion of handing over of National Accreditation Board for Hospital & Healthcare Providers (NABH) certificate to the ‘R’ Spa, Radisson Blu Hotel, New Delhi here today the Minister said India has good potential for Health Tourism and the same is yet to be exploited. He said “India has always been known for its rich heritage of wellness traditions and has enormous possibilities to offer to wellness seekers. The Ministry of Tourism has identified ‘Wellness Tourism’ as one of the Niche Tourism Product. The Indian System of healing along with Yoga has been well highlighted in the Incredible India campaigns of the Ministry of Tourism. In fact, Wellness as such has become a unique selling point of Indian tourism.” This is the first ever accreditation certificate given to a hotel spa in the country. Shri Sahai said the quality of service involved with tourism plays an important role in the process of delivery of the products. Service quality is an intangible, but crucial area of interest to travel service providers. The guidelines for Accreditation of Wellness Centers have been developed by National Accreditation Board for Hospital & Healthcare Providers (NABH) and were released during a national level workshop. The Minister said his Ministry in association with NABH organized three sensitization workshops to encourage the wellness centers to adopt accreditations. Following this effort, the NABH has accredited six wellness centers including spas and five applications for accreditation are in the pipeline. The Tourism Minister informed that three Ayurveda hospitals have also been accredited while 11 applications are under process. He said, a committee on ‘Wellness Tourism’ has been constituted under the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Tourism with members from the stakeholders to discuss various matters relating to development and promotion of wellness tourism. The Global Spa & Wellness Summit has chosen India as the host country for its annual conference in 2013. This is a significant achievement and this event is supported by the Ministry of Tourism.