India Eyes $58 Billion Medical Tourism Boom by 2035 — Here’s the Bold Plan to Get There
India plans major push to become a global medical tourism hub by 2035.
India is gearing up to position itself as the world’s leading destination for medical and wellness tourism, with a new report outlining an aggressive roadmap to grow the sector to USD 58.2 billion by 2035.
Titled “Heal in India: Catalysing Medical and Wellness Tourism for a Healthier Global Future,” the report calls for sweeping reforms, including tax incentives for hospitals treating foreign patients, increased support for health-tech startups, and global branding campaigns.
Released by the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) in partnership with KPMG in India, the report projects the country’s medical tourism market to grow at a compound annual rate of 12.3 percent—from USD 18.2 billion in 2025 to over USD 58 billion by 2035.
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A key recommendation is the introduction of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, such as tax exemptions for hospitals serving international patients and 100 percent FDI in broader healthcare infrastructure, including wellness centres. The report also emphasizes expanding the government’s Marketing Development Assistance scheme and providing technical support for digital promotion.
The roadmap urges the government to fast-track insurance portability by collaborating with global insurance providers to recognize Indian hospitals within their international coverage. This, the report argues, would remove major financial hurdles for patients abroad and attract more insured medical travelers.
Health-tech startups are seen as a vital part of this growth strategy. The report advocates targeted grants and subsidies to startups working in digital health, medical research, and patient experience technologies—areas critical to India’s competitiveness in global medical care.
The report recommends strengthening healthcare training to meet global standards, building multilingual capacities in medical facilities, and fixing gaps in visa and insurance integration for foreign patients.
It also calls for a high-level mission to coordinate efforts between central and state governments, suggesting the upgrade of the National Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board into a comprehensive national mission for seamless policy execution.
India currently ranks 10th in the Medical Tourism Index and 7th in Wellness Tourism, with 2 million foreign patients visiting annually from over 75 countries. In 2024 alone, India issued more than 4.6 lakh medical visas, primarily to patients from Bangladesh, the Gulf, and Africa.
As global demand for cross-border healthcare and wellness services is set to surge, India’s ambition is clear: to lead the global medical tourism race by 2035.
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