Almost two years after international travel was suspended due to COVID-19, India is restoring all 21 categories of tourist visas, including medical visas for foreign travellers going to India for medical treatment. e-tourist visas, including the ‘e-medical visa’ and ‘e-medical attendant visa’ issued to nationals of 156 countries have been restored with immediate effect.
The government of India actively supports the medical travel sector. The Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism.
The Union Minister for Tourism, Kishan Reddy, said of the plan; “To create a robust framework and synergy amongst the central government ministries, state governments and private sector for promoting India as a medical and wellness tourism destination, the Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism. To provide a dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of medical tourism, the ministry has constituted a National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board with the minister of tourism as its chairman.”
The ministry plans to develop global print, electronic and online media campaigns targeting potential overseas markets, under the ‘Incredible India’ brand which will promote various tourism destinations and products of the country.
Digital promotions are also regularly undertaken through the social media accounts of the ministry on different themes, including medical tourism.
825,000 medical visas to India were issued to foreigners, mostly in African nations, between 2019 and 2021, according to a Home Ministry report to Parliament, reported by IMTJ in February 2022.
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