India Tourism Development Corporation

Why is in news? Ministry of Ayush signed MoU with ITDC for Promotion of Medical Value travel in India

Ministry of Ayush has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to work together for the promotion of Medical Value Travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine.

According to the MoU, Ministry of Ayush will provide training to the officials of ITDC to sensitize them about the Medical value travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine.

It will identify tourist circuits, where there is immense scope to promote Medical value travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine and provide all the technical knowhow from time to time to ITDC.

ITDC on suggestion of Ministry of Ayush will include historical heritage sites of Indian systems of medicine in tourist destinations under "Knowledge Tourism and may develop films/literature useful to tourists.

It will explore establishing Ayurveda and Yoga centre in the Hotels run by ITDC and will organize sensitization workshops in collaboration.

The implementation and progress of the MoU will be monitored by a Joint Working Group (JWG) co-chaired by representatives from MoA and ITDC.

The JWG will also identify the best practices adopted by Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand etc. to promote themselves as a preferred destination for Medical value travel.

In the recently concluded First Health Working Group meeting of G20 India presidency at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala G20 delegates deliberated on opportunities and challenges to promote Medical Value Travel in India.

Medical Value Travel has seen significant growth in India in recent years.

According to the report ‘The Global Wellness Economy: Looking beyond COVID’ by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the Global Wellness economy will grow at 9.9% annually. Ayush based healthcare & Wellness economy is estimated to grow to $70 billion by 2025.

India Tourism Development Corporation:

The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is a hospitality, retail and education company owned by Government of India, under Ministry of Tourism.

Established in 1966, it owns over 17 properties under the Ashok Group of Hotels brand, across India.

Objectives of the Corporation:

To construct, take over and manage existing hotels and market hotels, Beach Resorts, Traveller’s Lodges/Restaurants;

To provide transport, entertainment, shopping and conventional services;

To produce, distribute, tourist publicity material;

To render consultancy-cum-managerial services in India and abroad;

To carry on the business as Full-Fledged Money Changers (FFMC), restricted money changers etc;

To provide innovating, dependable and value for money solutions to the needs of tourism development and engineering industry including providing consultancy and project implementation.