INDIAN CULTURE AND HERITAGE

Kerala promotes health tourism the Ayurvedic way!

Kerala's highly-developed healthcare system enables the state to attract patients from abroad, says Jayata Sharma.

Kerala, the state almost synonymous with the word 'Ayurveda', is now all set to reap the benefits of Ayurveda through health tourism. The reason for this is the popularity of Ayurvedic treatments and the manner in which Kerala is marketing Ayurveda in medical tourism.

The genesis

In the 1950s, Kerala had a state hospitality department. However, the functions of the department were confined to running of guesthouses, upkeep of residential bungalows of ministers and providing hospitality and other arrangements of VIPs. At that time, there were not many hotels where foreign tourists could stay. Hence, they were provided accommodation in government guesthouses. "However, in 1960s, the tourist traffic started to increase and the government realised that there is a lot of potential in the hotel sector. So, a separate Department of Tourism came into being," explains B Suman, ex-director, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala.

Soon Kerala realised that it had a huge market for health tourism, as most tourists were attracted and inclined towards Ayurveda, the age-old system of medicine practiced widely in the state. Suman says, "About 10-12 years back, Kerala started with the task of promoting Ayurveda on a larger scale. And since then it has been a wonderful journey. So much so, now we don't even need to market Ayurveda from scratch, it has become a global term."

The promotion of Ayurveda in health tourism started in 1994 and the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) started Ayurvedic health centres in its premium properties like Hotel Samudra, Kovalam during the same period. "KTDC has tied up with the most reputed Ayurveda treatment providers and hence the authority of doctors and the quality of the medicines used are not compromised. The response has been encouraging," says Raj Mohan, marketing manager, KTDC.

Ayurveda is popular in UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and few Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE. However, the largest number of tourists coming to India for Ayurveda is from Germany. The growth rate of tourists flocking for Ayurveda is increasing every year at the rate of around 20-25 per cent.

Promotion plans

KTDC recently opened up an Ayurvedic resort called 'Thannermukkom Ayurvedic Lake Resort' located beside the backwaters at Thannermukkom. "Here, we have tied up with the Keraleeya Ayurveda Samajam, a society formed by the Maharaja of Zamorine of Calicut in 1903, to promote and protect Ayurveda, headed by Padmasree Dr Rajagopal. Unlike the usual Ayurvedic spa/centres attached to a hotel, this resort combines authentic Ayurvedic treatment with leisure," adds Mohan. The patient's medical records are thoroughly examined by a panel of expert doctors and treatment is suggested after verifying the medical conditions. Thus, the unique feature of the resort is that it provides treatment just like a fully- equipped Ayurveda hospital without reducing the leisure element by way of location, property etc.

Advantage Kerala

Kerala has the advantage of worldwide recognition, as it has been included in the list of the ten must-see destinations by the National Geographic Traveller. This is matched by a highly developed healthcare delivery system, which enables the state to attract patients from all over.

KTDC has also tied-up with the Cochin-based Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) and the obvious reason is that AIMS has been receiving patients from 16 countries, including European countries, with a steady increase recently in the number of patients coming down for Ayurveda. Through the joint venture it will be possible to offer the patients quality medical care at AIMS and tourism options for both the patients and their relatives through KTDC.

"For promotional purposes, our hospital has a tie-up with Hutch, Citibank, and ICICI Prudential, wherein we provide various concessions and special packages to their customers," says Sugana Kuroop, corporate communications officer, Kerala Vaidyashala, a 200-bed hospital in Aluva, Kerala.

"We have a tie-up with a Korean University. It's an exchange programme, through which the university will promote our brand and in turn we will market their various study programmes," says Sree Kumar, marketing manager, Vaidyaratnam Nursing Home. Vaidyaratnam has more than 1,000 branches all over India, of which 20 are in Kerala, with a 35-bed facility (30 rooms and 5 cottages) each.

Kerala recently won the Best State Award for tourism promotion from the Government of India. When asked about the role of Ayurveda in this, Suman answers diplomatically, "Kerala tourism basically revolves around four things -beaches, back waters, hill stations and Ayurveda. So, giving credit to only Ayurveda will not be fair. It has contributed as much as the other factors."

Classification of centres

The Department of Tourism has classified all the Ayurvedic centres in two categories-Green Leaf and Olive Leaf. The department does not take responsibility of any centre, which is not classified in either of the above categories. "The most difficult part is letting the tourists know about this classification. I make sure to stress this particular point whenever I am in any travel mart abroad," says Suman, who adds that almost five lakh foreign tourists come to Kerala annually for Ayurvedic treatments.

Marketing strategies

"Kerala recently participated in the Information Technology Business (ITB), 2006. Every year, there are some new additions to promote Ayurveda. This year, it was Ayurveda masseur, where a quick Ayurvedic massage was given to foreigners, to give them a taste of what exactly is Ayurveda and how wondrous it can be. And if they want more, they can always visit Kerala for it," avers Suman.

Kerala, as part of its marketing strategy, continuously organises road shows all around the world for the promotion of Ayurveda along with modern medicine. Suman informed that such road shows were organised in France, Berlin and London and will be held at other destinations across the world in future.

One of the best avenues for marketing Ayurveda is at major international travel trade exhibitions and marts followed with advertising in print and electronic media. "We get maximum exposure and positive response at the marts abroad," adds Geeta Ramesh, managing director, Kairali Group of Resorts and Spa. Kairali Group has been actively involved with the marketing of Ayurveda since 1989.

Ayurvedic resorts

While all the hotels and resorts in Kerala are now including Ayurveda in their services, there are some resorts, which are exclusive for Ayurvedic treatments. "We offer the Ayurveda package with yoga and meditation. However, the latter two are optional," says Ramesh. She does not forget to add that 90 per cent of the tourists visiting her resorts are from abroad, s Indians are not too interested in Ayurvedic treatments.

Food plays a key role

In Ayurveda, food is given utmost importance. "We serve only vegetarian food while the tourists are undergoing Ayurvedic treatments for arthritis and paralysis. Also, the contents of the meal differ from person to person depending on the kind of ailments they are suffering. Protein-rich food is given at our hospital and we also serve non-vegetarian food, but only grilled or baked," informs Dr Mohan Babu, chief-of-staff, Krishnendu Ayurvedic Hospital, a chain of two 40-bed hospitals.

With so many Ayurvedic hospitals all over Kerala, there is a possibility that the tourists will choose them over resorts. But Ramesh says, "In resorts, tourists can just stay for a few hours, get treated and then go on to enjoy other leisure activities. But in the hospital, people feel like they are really very sick and they cannot move around freely. Even the atmosphere at the resorts is more relaxing and that helps in quick recovery."

However, Babu counters Ramesh's argument saying that while undergoing Ayurveda treatment complete rest is necessary. "Tourists at an Ayurveda resort would undergo treatment and then go swimming or running on the beach. We don't allow this," states Dr Babu. He receives almost 70 outpatients on a daily basis and the period of treatment ranges from seven days to 21 days, depending on the problem.

Obstacles

"Travel agents stress only on the massage part of Ayurveda. The pleasure part is given utmost importance in their agenda. They must also make people understand that Ayurveda cures many complex problems, like paralysis, which they will get only at an Ayurvedic hospital, under the observation of qualified doctors," says Dr Babu.

The other problem facing Ayurveda treatment centres is that there are a lot of centres, which also indulge in illegal activities under the name of Ayurveda. "As a result, it proves very challenging to convince tourists and Indian citizens to actually come and visit the Ayurvedic centre. Authenticity becomes suspect for the visitors. Strong monitoring is required," adds Kuroop, whose hospital was featured in one of the episodes of CNBC's Crime Watch, which dealt with the topic of the name of Ayurvedic massage parlors being used for indecent activities. The accreditation system of the tourism department is a relief to all the Ayurvedic centres.

The other problem is that of exporting Ayurvedic medicines. "We face problems as foreign countries have a compulsion of a certification regarding non-existence of metals in medicines. We have to spend almost Rs 20 lakh for this certification," says Kumar, whose organisation manufactures 400 ayurvedic products, from the old Ayurvedic texts.

Future plans

Along with the projects already underway, there is a need to draw up plans for promotions in future. There is close competition in the Ayurvedic sector with existing and new hotels being compelled to have an Ayurvedic spa. Well-established hospitals have also woken up to the potential of this segment and are planning to cash in. "We are planning to have a tie-up with travel agents abroad. This will help in providing us greater exposure. Also, we will soon have a tie-up with Yahoo and Google," adds Dr Babu. The Kairali Group also has many projects lined-up, first of which is franchising. An agreement with Vietnam is already in the pipeline with Czechoslovakia and China in the offing.

"Holding exhibitions abroad is one thing we are looking forward to," says Kuroop, who already has patients lined up from countries like the US, Germany, UK, Italy and Spain. "We are also coming up with an e-discount coupon for Hutch subscribers, wherein if the subscriber wants to avail of the discount, he can get in touch with our hospital and we will send him the discount coupon on his cell. Simultaneously, our system will be informed about it," informs Kuroop. Apart from this, Kerala Vaidyashala will be involved in cross promotion with the Apollo group of hospitals. While the Apollo group will promote Vaidyashalas' services, they will in turn market Apollo.

"We are planning for franchisees in the Middle East, as it does involve too many complications and getting approvals is easy," adds Kumar. Vaidyaratnam is also planning additional 15 cottages at each of its centres.

Giving health tourism a boost

While promotion of Ayurveda is done in print and electronic media, it is the travel agents abroad that do better marketing and give more exposure. They have a captive client base and can influence them to visit a particular resort or spa. Another good option to market and promote medical and health tourism including Ayurveda is participation in major travel trade fairs like ITB Berlin, WTM London etc. Apart from this, attractive brochures, CDs and other publicity material to promote Ayurveda in medical tourism is also being prepared. Guidelines for accreditation of Ayurvedic and Panchakarma centres have been finalised and issued for implementation. All in all the ball is rolling to encash the potential of Ayurveda in medical tourism and even if there is severe competition among Ayurvedic hospitals and resorts, the big beneficiary in any case are the Kerala Tourism and Ministry of Tourism.

Labels: culture, india, kerala, tourism