New Delhi

Free visits, yoga sessions for medical tourists during Games

NEW DELHI: The Centre is completely reshaping the security set up to provide fool-proof security for the Commonwealth Games in 2010 in view of the recent terror attacks. And these measures would also ensure that medical tourism has grown by at least 20 times by the time the international sporting event is held in Delhi, Secretary (Tourism) Sujit Banerjee said at the inauguration of the International Medical Tourism Summit here this week.

Mr. Banerjee also declared that medical tourists visiting India during the Games would be taken to niche tourism sites at government expense to promote India as a tourist destination. In addition, the foreign tourists would also be provided with free yoga exercise at various camps and would be motivated to undertake adventure and religious tourism at government expense.

The Tourism Secretary said upgraded and modified security plans are due to be chalked out jointly by the Home Secretary and top bureaucrats of all the Ministries relating to Commonwealth Games. Stating that the exercise would commence any day, he said not only would the stadia and other venues for the Games be adequately protected, the hospitality industry and various sites of historical importance would also be brought under a security net.

The Secretary also informed that tourism in general and medical tourism in particular had suffered negative growth in the month of November as against the same month in the previous year. But, he hoped that with new security arrangements, tourism would grow exponentially ahead of the Games.

Mr. Banerjee regretted that while India received a good number of patients for treatment from USA and UK, patients of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and even Pakistan choose to go to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia for availing of medical aid.

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