The Ministry of Ayush has signed a MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU) with the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) to work together for the promotion of Medical Value Travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine.

Ayush Ministry Director Dr. Shashi Ranjan Vidyarthi and ITDC Director (Commercial and Marketing) Piyush Tiwari signed the MoU in the presence of Ayush Ministry Special Secretary Pramod Kumar Pathak and other senior officials.

According to the MoU, the Ayush Ministry will train and sensitise ITDC officials about the medical value travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine.

It will identify tourist circuits, where there is immense scope to promote Medical value travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine and provide all technical knowhow from time to time to ITDC.

The ITDC, on the suggestion of the Ministry of Ayush, will include historical heritage sites of Indian systems of medicine in tourist destinations under “Knowledge Tourism” and may develop films/literature useful to tourists. It will explore establishing Ayurveda and Yoga centres in the Hotels run by ITDC and will organise sensitization workshops in collaboration.

The implementation and progress of the MoU will be monitored by a Joint Working Group (JWG) co-chaired by representatives from the Ayush Ministry and ITDC. The JWG will also identify best practices adopted by Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand etc. to promote themselves as a preferred destination for Medical value travel.

In the recently-concluded First Health Working Group meeting of G20 India presidency at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, G20 delegates deliberated on opportunities and challenges to promote medical value tourism in India.

Medical Value Travel has seen significant growth in India in recent years. According to the report ‘The Global Wellness Economy: Looking beyond COVID’ by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the Global Wellness economy will grow at 9.9 per cent annually. Ayush based healthcare & Wellness economy is estimated to grow to $70 billion by 2025.