Everyone’s talking about... T e Indian spa market A I I
s a medical tourism market, India has the most poten- tial of any country.
And since India is the home of ayurveda, opportunities for its use in medical tourism are immense. India has 220 col- leges teaching ayurveda, and one university entirely devoted to it. Facilities in India off er ayurveda packages from four days to four weeks; these attract international tourists, and some have waiting periods of more than 12 months. In larger Indian cities, up to 30 per cent of local people already seek ayurvedic treatment, and in rural areas the percentage is almost 97 per cent. Lack of standardisation is the biggest
challenge. T e Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and
n the early 1990s, all eyes were fixed on India’s external trade policies – duties were as high as
250 per cent on imported luxury items. T e relaxation that has taken place since has spurred India on its path to becoming an economic superpower, and created an envi- ronment that’s fi nally truly ripe for world class development in the wellness sector. Over the past two decades, India’s hospi-
tality sector has experienced unprecedented growth. It encouraged new brands and ideas, and pushed for international standards in architecture, interiors and service; it’s now a very exciting time to invest in this sec-
DR SARAT YENIGALLA Director, LeoJuventa Centre for Integrated Medicine
Homoeopathy (AYUSH), an initiative by India’s Ministry of Health, is doing pioneering work in bringing standardisation to
institutes, universities and hospitals teach- ing and practising these ancient medicine systems. T e organisation has formalised an accreditation programme, clearly diff erenti- ating a wellness spa and a medical spa. At the LeoJuventa Centre for Integrated
Medicine, we practise ancient Indian tradi- tions along with cosmetic dentistry, weight management, diabetes management, physio- therapy and rehab, performance diagnostics and sports injuries rehab. We currently get a healthy mix of local, national and inter-
NIQI KUNDHI Group CEO,
Geo Spa Fitness
tor. So far, India’s hotels have led the way in spa development, as hospitality leads India’s social
structure – whatever the hotels do has a tor- rent eff ect on the aspirations of the Indian consumer, making these hotel spas appeal to domestic as well as foreign customers. T e spa zone, once thought of as an out of
sight basement activity, is now considered vital for hotel developers in India and takes prime position by the poolside, with easy access from the guest bedrooms.
So far, India’s hotels have led the way in spa development as hospitality leads India’s social structure – whatever the hotels do has a torrent eff ect on the aspirations of the Indian consumer
ndia’s hospitality sector is doing very well. By 2013, there will be an enor- mous supply of hotels,
with at least 20 companies in play. T ere will be lots of com- petition in the market, and India will become a very competitive destination in terms of attracting tourists. We’ve been wanting the government to
put a national tourism advisory board in place which will allow new project holders to get clearance for their developments quickly. Foreign players haven’t been able to come into India because of red tape, and once
SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010
national visitors and patients, including corporate groups visiting for pampering packages and medical tourists. We’ve already opened a successful inte-
grated facility in Hyderabad and are now looking to tap into opportunities elsewhere in India. We’ve decided to expand to the east- ern coast near Visakhapatnam, the western coast near Mumbai, the Western Ghats near Panchgani, and the north near Rishikesh in the Himalayas. T e government’s strong ini- tiatives will lead to stupendous growth of the wellness sector – promotion of the ancient systems through the Ministry of Tourism and its offi ces around the world is already boosting the sector.
Spas are now vital for hotel developers Beyond the hospitality sector, spa devel-
opers in India are creating destination, urban, day and medi spas, and this devel- opment is set to continue. Young, ambitious Indian doctors who can lend their expertise to medi-spas are also a particular strength. I predict that India will see a fi ne-tuning
of franchise, hospitality and spa brands in the future – the country is positioning itself to be a brand creator, not a brand adopter.
RAJINDERA KUMAR President, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India
that’s streamlined, it should encourage more investors. What’s required today is to come up with something for
the mid-market segment, which is totally missing from the scene. T e government is providing incentives to encourage this part of the sector. T ere’s a lot of focus on the mid-market segment at the moment – I think that even chains could profi t from targeting the mid-market, as there’s a need to provide
a value-for-money option and to balance out all the luxury fi ve-star off erings. India’s biggest strengths are its beautiful
locations and its [kind hearted] people – there is much potential for hospitality and tour- ism across the country. T ere are big cities and beautiful tourist attractions providing a strong pull for visitors and we’re trying to develop our infrastructure and facilities. Once all these are in play, we’ll be complete in all respects as a world-class tourist destination.
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PHOTO: THE SPA AT LEELA KEMPINSKI DELHI
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