India

India is acclaimed for its huge medical tourism potential with states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, specifically identified in offering a lot of scope for medical tourism. In recognition of India’s potential as a choice destination for medical tourism, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has taken upon its stride to help in promoting medical tourism and have in effect showcased the key features of India’s medical tourism at an annual conference held in Dubai in last October.

According to the President of TAAI, Mr. Rajinder Rai, optimism is indeed high for India’s medical tourism especially for clients from the Middle East where the Dubai showcase will seek to change the scenario. The annual conference held from September 29 to October 2, saw over 2,000 delegates taking part. Experts from both India, as well from the Middle East nation, took part in this conference and exchanged their views, prospects and experiences. The President further categorically noted that the annual conference of the Travel Agents Association of India will contribute to a very large degree to promote and to market Dubai in India, which has been showing positive and strong signs of growth for quite a few years now.

The medical tourism market in India has been growing rapidly since the last decade and private as well as Government corporations are taking initiatives to sustain and continue the growth. The country’s potential as a choice destination for medical tourism has equally seen the Indian Medical Travel Association (IMTA) in partnership with a leading business federation, the FICCI, to promote Medical Value Travel to India from the African Continent. Dubbed ‘Namaskar Africa’, FICCI will lead an Indian business expedition from 14-16 January 2010 to Lagos, Nigeria with due support from Ministry of Commerce, Government of India and ECOWAS Commission where in effect the Indian delegation will be lead by India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Anand Sharma.

Targeting Africa for clients is based on the steady growth in the volume of international patients coming to India for medical treatment, especially from West Africa and particularly from Nigeria. Indeed more than ten thousand visas were issued by Indian High Commission in Nigeria alone during 2009 to patients who wanted to travel to various Indian hospitals for medical treatment. According to the Executive Director, Indian Medical Travel Association, Pradeep Thukral, Africa is a prime market for promoting medical value travel to India and where ‘Namaskar Africa’ will seek to provide opportunities for the Association’s members to promote their services and also explore business opportunities for setting up Diagnostic and Clinical facilities in the African region.

The event endeavors to provide excellent networking opportunities between Indian African healthcare professionals and will help to further boost the flow of international patients referrals from Africa to Indian hospitals.

According to a recently released October 2009 STR Global Construction Pipeline Report, the development of hotels in the Asia Pacific hotel industry shows 985 hotels currently under construction and which altogether comprise 235,931 rooms. Among the key markets, Shanghai, China, reported the largest amount of rooms in the total active pipeline (12,445 rooms) and equally in the “In Construction” phase (9,291 rooms).
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The traditional package holiday requirements of sun, sea and sand will be replaced with sightseeing, shopping and status as emerging markets shape the travel industry in the new Millennium.
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Australia remains the country that most people have on their wish list to visit but the Obama effect has seen the United States earn the coveted top spot for the first time in the fifth annual FutureBrand Country Brand Index (CBI). Australia fell to number three, with New Zealand hot on its heels in fourth position.
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According to a PIB release, more than 90 foreign film productions have been cleared for shooting in different locations all over India over the last three years. Permission was granted to 22 foreign film productions in 2006, 27 each in 2007 and 2008 and 17 till date this year.
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Finnair has announced plans to fly daily to New Delhi as of 25 September 2009. Thanks to Helsinki’s excellent geographical location on the great circle route, the flight time to Delhi is now only 6 hours 30 minutes.
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According to a recently released report by PhoCusWright on the Asia Pacific Online Travel Overview, there is an expected downturn in the APAC travel industry in 2009, with all the major segments namely that of air, hotel and car, declining due to decreased passenger demand.
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Cash-strapped Air India may get a fresh lease of life with the government agreeing to infuse a performance-linked equity of INR 5,000 (USD 103) crore over the next three years into the state-owned airline.
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A notable outcome from the recently held Asia Luxury Travel Market (ALTM) in June in Shanghai is the optimism expressed by Indian outbound agents that the luxury segment is still holding up well despite pressures from the global economy.
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Is Macau back in business? This seems to be the case as the tiny former Portuguese colony on the coast of southeast China attempts to reel out of the effects of the current global financial crisis that affected employment conditions in recent times coupled with restrictions imposed on Chinese travels to the country that severely affected its economy.
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Despite the weakening global economic environment, the fifth edition of UFI’s annual report on the trade fair market in Asia reveals that the market expanded by 8.7% in 2008 with net area sold by organizers in Asia reaching a total of 14.3 million m2. Within the industry, China’s growth continues to outpace the rest of the region.
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India’s premier international airline, Jet Airways, has established itself as a leading carrier on the competitive Indo-UK sector through the introduction of the Première fares to London from several Indian cities. The carrier has launched a special limited period offer for Première passengers from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Pune traveling to London between May 29 and September 30, 2009. Read the rest of the article…