Mr. Shahdadpuri said that the most important –ism according to him is ‘tourism’. It can give employment for every single dollar spent. In the tourism and hospitality sector, for every million spend, 78 people can be employed. India attracts only 7 million tourists in a year, which is low considering that India is a country with four seasons at any given point of time. He said India can harness this amazing endowment by taking various steps such as:

* Generating increased hotel occupancy
* Should create a tourism promotion organization, which can be handled by a private operator
* By providing security to tourists on a priority basis

Mr. Prasad said that the tourism business is showing a lot of positive trends. There are big investment opportunities in India in this sector, he said, adding that the country is experiencing a change in segments in terms of tourists visiting. Traditionally, tourists came to India to visit temples, monuments and soak in India’s history, but now it has changed as tourists want cultural experiences and want to understand India and its society. He said India now have enough tourism options in sub-sectors such as cruise tourism, wildlife tourism, rural tourism, adventure tourism, etc. India provides huge opportunities for people to make investment such as B&B facilities, cultural parks, and rural villages. Mr. Prasad added that domestic tourism is also increasing in India at a rapid rate.

HEALTHCARE & MEDICAL VALUE TRAVEL

 The healthcare and medical value travel session saw participation from Dr. Jayesh Shah, President, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI); Mr. C. K. Mishra, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; Dr. Narottam Puri, Advisor-Medical, Fortis Healthcare Ltd.; Dr. Nandini Tandon, Vice Chairperson of the Board and Trustee, El Camino Hospital; and Mr. Abhay Soi, CMD, Halcyon Finance and Capital Pvt. Ltd. The session was moderated by Dr. Narottam Puri.

In his special address, Dr. Shah said that AAPI started 32 years ago in the United States after a few doctors came together to fight discrimination. Since then, it has become the largest ethnic organization representing over 100,000 physicians of Indian origin. Today, one in every seventh patient is seen by an Indian physician in the United States. Globally, about 25% of all doctors are Indian.

India, he said, has all the ingredients of becoming a medical tourist hub. “As we develop the medical tourism industry, India should be able to brand its Indian-ness,” he said. Accessible, affordable and quality healthcare solutions are going to come from innovations developed in India with the help of the Indian diaspora all over the globe. India has 18 hospitals that have JCAHO-accredited facilities and added that around 400 Indian physicians have returned to India in the last one year to provide the necessary healthcare standards in India.