E-visas for Indian traditional medicine may give Ayurveda a leg up

With the Indian government deciding to give e-visas to foreigners wanting to avail Indian traditional medicine, the healthcare industry is hoping that it would give a leg up to the wellness tourism in the south. In the first week of June, the Union Home Ministry gave a go-ahead to issue e-tourist visas for people wanting to come to India for traditional medicine treatment in India on a short term. Falling under its purview would be ayurveda, unani, and siddha, among other forms of alternative medicine. Indian tourism sources say that the average period of stay of an international tourist for ayurveda treatment in the country is six days. The Times of India quotes Suman Billa, Union Tourism Ministry Joint Secretary, as saying that beneficiaries of this new initiative would be the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Uttarakhand, where ayurveda treatment flourishes. India has been drawing a large number of tourists from Europe and Germany wanting to get treated with the Indian traditional medicine. A KPMGFICCI report, which was released in 2014, shows that the city of Chennai alone attracts 40 percent of India's medical tourists.