Panaji:
India has failed to tap the potential of medical tourism which is growing at 20 per cent annually, a top hospitality professional said here on Saturday.
Victor Albuquerque, whose company has tied up with Radisson Hotels for hospitality and Apollo Group for hospitals in Goa, said the Goa government too was lagging behind.
"People in tourism industry are interested in fast money. We go on promoting the state everywhere but no thought is given on how to improve the tourism," he said at a press conference to announce the launch of Goa Ayurvedic Hospital in Margao.
Albuquerque said that until five years ago, total share of medical tourism was 40 billion dollars which is growing at 20 per cent rate. "But of the entire share, India taps only 0.25 per cent."
"Thailand earns 500 times more than what India earns in the medical tourism," he said, adding that the people from the regions like Middle East could be potential clients for India.
Goa too has failed to promote the medical tourism as against a state like Kerala, he added.
