Ministry of AYUSH inks MoU with ITDC to promote medical value travel, other traditional medicinal systems
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 Ministry of AYUSH has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Tourism’s India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) to work together for the promotion of Medical Value Travel (MVT) in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine.
According to the MoU, the Ministry of AYUSH will provide training to ITDC officials to sensitise them about the Medical Value Travel (MVT) in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine, an AYUSH ministry statement said.
It will identify tourist circuits, where there is immense scope to promote MVT in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine and provide all the technical know-how from time to time to ITDC, it said.
ITDC, on the suggestion of the Ministry of AYUSH, will include historical heritage sites of Indian systems of medicine in tourist destinations under “Knowledge Tourism and may develop films or literature useful to tourists.” It will explore establishing Ayurveda and Yoga centres in the Hotels run by ITDC and will organise sensitisation 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 MVT, the statement said.
In the recently concluded First Health Working Group meeting of the G20 India presidency at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala G20 delegates deliberated on opportunities and challenges to promote MVT in India. MVT 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 per cent annually, the statement said.
The AYUSH-based healthcare and wellness economy is estimated to grow to 70 billion dollars by 2025.
Edits by EP News Bureau