The Role of Health Tourism on Tourism Devlopment in Kerala State: An Evaluation

Abstract

Varkala is a tourist hub in Trivandrum in Kerala, India which has high inflow of visitors among other places in Kerala. The place possesses more than 100 resorts in which majority provides Ayurvedic spa and treatment to the customers. Health and medical tourism is perceived as one of the fastest growing segments in marketing ‘Destination India’ today. While this area has so far been unexplored, we now find that not only the ministry of tourism, government of India, but also the various state tourism boards and even the private sector consisting of travel agents, tour operators, hotel companies and other accommodation providers are all eying health and medical tourism as a segment with tremendous potential for future growth. The main aim of this project is to find out the scope and relevance of Health Tourism in India particularly with special reference to Varkala. The paper tries to suggest customer friendly measures for the better growth in health tourism. The impact of health tourism on visitors is also analysed here in the study.