NEW DELHI: More than 1.3 lakh foreign tourists visited India for medical purposes till April, the Centre informed the Parliament on Thursday.
In a written reply, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat underlined the steps undertaken to improve India’s rank in global wellness tourism markets.
“The total number of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) for medical purposes in India during 2025 (up to April) is 1, 31, 856, ” Shekhawat said.
“This constitutes approximately 4.1 per cent of the total FTAs during this period, ” he added.
He informed that the number of FTAs for medical purposes has been increasing in the past five years, with most of them coming from Bangladesh, Iraq, Somalia, Oman, and Uzbekistan.
“From 1.8 lakh in 2020, the number of FTAs for medical purposes rose to 6.4 lakh in 2024, ” Shekhawat said. However, it took a dip in 2024 compared to 2023. The number of foreign tourists in 2023 stood at 6.5 lakh.
“The ecosystem for medical tourism includes a host of service providers, facilitators, hospitals, commercial agencies such as hotels and airlines, regulatory agencies, and government, ” the Minister stated.
Earlier this year, the Union Budget announced a ‘Heal in India’ campaign in partnership with the private sector to boost medical tourism in the country.