LEARN FROM THE SMALL MEDICAL TOURISM OPERATORS IN INDIA

Studies so far identified medical tourism as a structured co-ordinated effort where people travel for medical purposes to distant locations to receive medical treatment which is professional expertise available for treatment of ailment. During this exercise most people tries to save time and also involves themselves in tourism related activities. This particular study identified an interesting concept that is happening in a city in India where people from different parts of India and also from neighboring countries come for medical purposes due to its geographical location and better medical facilities. The phenomenon observed identifies that most people travel initially with medical interests in mind, only to discover later in most cases that what they were originally told by their own medical practitioners and what they got from the local medical practitioners are totally different and most of the times they receive this information fairly quickly. This group of people initially plans for their trips to this destination in excess of the days that they are expected to stay in this destination for medical purposes. Once they receive the medical attention, the next thing then they do is to try and find out from the local small tour operators about the different tour facilities that the surrounding areas have so that they can travel to those areas. This information also in most cases is given to them or recommended to them by friendly medical staff members who work for the local medical facilities. Interestingly most of these small tour operators have developed strategic alliances with these local medical operators and also they have strategic alliances with the medical facilities at most of the popular tourist spots in the nearby districts. The natural abundance of beautiful sites makes this easier for both tourists and tour operators which in turn makes this whole journey, a journey that once seemed to be associated with challenge and scare a pleasant one. This is a classic example of how the strategic alliance between medical community and local tour operators are successfully leading to a co-operation and successful co-existence which in turn is adding benefits to the local economy. This is leading to higher tourist numbers and higher patient satisfaction and the chances of more patients/tourists traveling to this region. A steady flow of patients is expected to be generated from referrals by these satisfied patients as well.