India draws medical and wellness tourists, but hurdles persist: Report

India's medical tourism market is expected to reach $58.2 billion by 2035. In 2025, this market is valued at $18.2 billion. India is also ranked seventh in wellness tourism. This information comes from a report. The report was released on Thursday. It was jointly published by the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) and KPMG. 

 

 

However, certain bottlenecks remain, the report highlighted, thus offering a roadmap. India's wellness centres attract famous people from around the world. Almost 2 million patients from 78 countries visit India. However, India faces major challenges. These include a fragmented ecosystem and a lack of integration. The report states that India does not have a single, unified online portal for medical tourism. This makes it hard for international patients. They struggle to find verified information. They also have difficulty navigating healthcare choices.

 

While the patients' trust is low and there are follow-up gaps, the variability in pricing and care quality also poses challenges.

For the medical and wellness tourism sector, marketing also remains a challenge. "Although India’s healthcare industry is projected to reach $638 billion by 2025, providers, particularly those in Tier II and III cities, continue to face challenges in marketing and establishing strong brand recognition," as per the report. 

 

"Limited budgets, lack of strategic expertise, regulatory constraints such as compliance with ASCI and CDSCO standards, and a fragmented, diverse audience hinder effective marketing," it added.

 

Having said that, multiple factors place India in a good position, such as affordability, presence of a holistic wellness ecosystem, multilingual and culturally sensitive environment, and "government-supported ecosystem and institutional backbone," among others. The report highlighted the role of government initiatives such as the ‘Heal in India’ campaign, the National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board, and the Digital Health Stack, including the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, Unified Health Interface, and Ayush Grid in supporting the sector.

 

Meanwhile, the global medical and wellness tourism sectors are also poised for steady growth. While the former is expected to reach an expected market size of $101.98 billion in 2030 from $41.75 billion, the latter is expected to reach $2,054.90 billion by 2034 from $954.14 billion in 2024, offering India the opportunity to tap into the trend and its potential, addressing the challenges being crucial.

Health