India courts wellness tourists
India and Cyprus signed a new partnership to boost global wellness travel, with Maharashtra specifically preparing to welcome more international wellness seekers. (travelandtourworld.com) Tourism figures cited alongside the push show 32.7 million Indians travelled abroad in 2025 (+5.9% YoY) while domestic travel has exceeded pre‑pandemic levels — and The Imperial New Delhi was named Best Luxury Hotel in India at the ICC Aviation & Tourism Conference 2026. ( )
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Cyprus on June 15–16, 2025 and he and President Nikos Christodoulides signed a joint declaration committing both governments to a comprehensive partnership that explicitly includes steps to deepen tourism cooperation. (gov.cy) (government.economictimes.indiatimes.com) At PULSE 2026 in Mumbai on March 31, 2026 the Maharashtra government signed 15 MoUs covering healthcare and education, including three financial MoUs with combined investment commitments of INR 720 crore. (expresshealthcare.in) Maharashtra’s Tourism Department formalised a memorandum of understanding with the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce at PULSE 2026 specifically to collaborate on healthcare and recovery services, a move flagged by the state’s medical-education minister Madhuri Misal. (expresshealthcare.in) State-level planning in Maharashtra is targeting Nagpur as a medical-and-wellness tourism hub, with a MahaStride meeting chaired by divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari outlining regulatory simplification, nursing-college upgrades and integration of traditional systems such as Ayurveda and Unani. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) A July 2025 KPMG report titled “Heal in India: Catalysing medical and wellness tourism” recommends linking multispecialty hospital chains with wellness offerings, strengthening digital infrastructure for international patients, and positioning India as a “trusted, inclusive, and digitally empowered” medical-wellness destination. (kpmg.com) Industry groups are already amplifying the push: Global Hotel Alliance reported India-based GHA membership passing one million and Indian guests generating $75 million in global hotel spend in 2025, data leaders used to showcase market potential to international partners. (hospitalitynet.org) The bilateral joint declaration and subsequent economic forums also put direct air connectivity and shared-route arrangements on the agenda as concrete enablers for increased two‑way travel and investment between India and Cyprus. (mea.gov.in)
