KERALA’S HEALTHCARE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AYURVEDA TOURISM AND MEDICAL TOURISM.
Abstract
Kerala one of the first Superbrand of India in the tourism area, tag lined ‘God’s own country’ is bestowed with abundance in beauty, moderate climate; friendly, highly educated and resourceful people; lively and dynamic culture; considerable government support in terms of funds; policy decisions favouring tourism and numerable potential resources. All these form a perfect combination for development and diversification of tourism. Kerala is largely a consumer state with its economic status derived from a huge population working abroad. But the recent global economic slowdown has resulted not only in loss of opportunities abroad but also a reverse exodus of people returning home. Hence, it has become imperative for the government ‘to look elsewhere’. Tourism seems to be the answer and the best available option. To tap the full potential of tourism and to lay a solid economic foundation, it becomes necessary to look at possible diversifications, exploring fully untapped areas, combining it with unique possibilities indigenous to Kerala alone.
This paper examines the various factors that contribute to Kerala's strength as a preferred destination for Health, Wellness and Medical tourism. It also examines the diverse challenges that need to be addressed by the stakeholders to realize its potential
The appropriate approaches to propel Health Tourism in the global context are standardiza-tion of quality, proper management, innovative methods for manufacturing and the degree of potency. In recent scenario promotional activities are being made to revitalize the hidden science of healing in Kerala through health and wellness and also medical tourism. The synergistic combination of health, vacation and leisure will help the tourism and hospitality sector to cultivate global competitiveness and have sustainable growth.
References
- Muralidhar, S., & Karthikeyan, P. (2016). Ayurvedic Tourism in India: Practices and Policies. Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 6(6), 1043-1051.
- Ramesh, U., & Joseph, K. (2012). The Holistic Approach of Ayurveda Based Wellness Tourism in Kerala. International Journal of Advanced Research in Management (IJARM), 3(2), 29-39.
- Dewan, S., Verma, S., & Kumar, B. Transforming World; Ayurveda in Big Light, Limitations and Keys.
- Dunn, H. L. (1959). High-level wellness for man and society. American journal of public health and the nations health, 49(6), 786-792.
- Ramesh, U., Kurian, J., & Renganathan, R. (2010). Ayurvedic Health Tourism in Kerala: A Study on the Market Potential Catering to Customer Perceptions. i-Manager's Journal on Management, 4(4), 55.
- Corbin, C. B., Welk, G., Corbin, W. R., & Welk, K. (2001). Concepts of fitness and wellness. McGraw-hill.
- Smith, M., & Puczkó, L. (2008). Health and wellness tourism. Routledge.
- Mueller, H., & Kaufmann, E. L. (2001). Wellness tourism: Market analysis of a special health tourism segment and implications for the hotel industry. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 7(1), 5-17.
- Chen, C. C., & Petrick, J. F. (2013). Health and wellness benefits of travel experiences: A literature review. Journal of Travel Research, 52(6), 709-719.
- Didascalou, E., Lagos, D., & Nastos, P. (2009). Wellness tourism: Evaluating destination attributes for tourism planning in a competitive segment market. Tourismos, 4(4), 113-125.
- Swain, D., & Sahu, S. (2008, May). Opportunities and challenges of health tourism in India. In Conference on Tourism in India–Challenges Ahead (Vol. 15, p. 17).
- Nabae, K. (2003). The health care system in Kerala: its past accomplishments and new challenges. Journal of the National Institute of Public Health, 52(2), 140-5.
- George, B. P., Henthorne, T. L., & Williams, A. J. (2010). Determinants of satisfaction and dissatisfaction among preventive and curative medical tourists: a comparative analysis. International Journal of Behavioural and Healthcare Research, 2(1), 5-19.
- Pani, A., & Das, B. (2016). Role of Hotels and Resorts to Promote Ancient Ayurveda through Health Tourism: A Special Reference to Odisha. Purushartha: A Journal of Management Ethics and Spirituality, 7(2).
- Joseph, S., & Jacob, R. (2015). Regulatory Framework in Healthcare Delivery: A Study of the Kerala Medical Travel Industry. Rajagiri Journal of Social Development, 7(2), 149.
- Thimm, T. (2016). The Kerala Tourism Model–An Indian State on the Road to Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development.
- Saxena, R. (2014). Indian Medical Tourism Industry –Products and Destinations: Challenges And Opportunities. International Journal of Research in Management & Social Science,14..
- Jadhav, S., Yeravdekar, R., & Kulkarni, M. (2014). Cross-border Healthcare Access in South Asian Countries: Learnings for Sustainable Healthcare Tourism in India. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 157, 109-117.
- Summit, W., & Spa, G. (2017). The Global Wellness Tourism Economy.