Saturday, March 7, 2009

Kerala Tourism

Introduction
India is the seventh largest country in South Asia and ranked second in terms of the population. The country is composed of 28 states, one of which is Kerala. This Indian state is now starting to build its name regarding the prevailing promotion of medical tourism in less developed countries. Recently, Kerala was recognized by the UNICEF and the World Health Organization as the world's first "baby-friendly state". The state's international recognition just help them to be more motivated regarding their health care system that they have been engaging with in the past few years.

Several opinions have been implied regarding this matter. Mostly, people would ask, how such an obscure state from a not so developed country acquire such recognition from international organization. The industry of medical tourism continuously invades under dog regions within the globe. A lot of opportunities have knock on their doors that gives them the chance to prove something despite of the massive global competition.

What make Kerala distinct from others who have been in the same business is that the state promotes their traditional way of health care system. The Ayurvedic treatment is now capturing the attention of the people, especially in the western country where such practice is every unusual.

All about Kerala
The "land of coconut tress", this is what the name Kerala actually means. Aside from being considered as the pioneering health and medical tourism in India, this state also kept some alluring secrets behind it that will truly captivate the heart of many tourists. Kerala is one of the exotic destinations of the world and over the recent years its popularity has also increases. In fact, the National Geographic travel magazine considered the state among the fifty must see locations in the entire world. With this, the Tourism Department of the state launched various promotions of Kerala's natural beauty, breathtaking landscape and tropical beaches. They even come up with the slogan "God's Own Country" which results to a significant reflux of tourist and foreign visitors.

Kerala is such a paradise for individuals who have been there for whatever reason. It may be for some sort of exploration with its nature or may be for its health care system. Although the state is located in a third world country, the state of Kerala manages to reinvent itself and provide the most appropriate needs that they can render.

It was during the 50's when the state has a State Hospitality Department which usually tends to run a guest house and other arrangements among the VIPs. Also still at that time, they weren't enough facilities such as hotels to accommodate foreign visitors that is why the guest houses where used for their lodging. After a decade, they have started to encounter a large traffic of tourist. This event gave them the idea that there are a lot of opportunity on the hotel sector that why the government since then implemented a separate department on it.

After acquiring a separate Tourism Department, the state soon realizes that there is a huge market for health tourism. The good thing about Kerala's concept in health tourism is that they remained faithful regarding their culture and beliefs. They have been incorporated their own techniques in medication without sacrificing the true essence of providing proper health care. Part of their general notion is to implement the Ayurveda or the Ayurvedic Medicine. This is an ancient Hindu system of health care that is native to the Indian Subcontinent. The word Ayurveda was roughly translated as the "knowledge of a long life". The Ayurveda is merely concerned with the measures to protect life, which includes healthy living among the therapeutic measures that relate to physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony. This is also considered one among the few traditional systems of medicine to contain a sophisticated system of surgery which they called "salya-chikitsa". By incorporating the method of Ayurveda, they still manage to provide every foreign visitor a taste of their culture.

According to Suman, the director of the tourism department in Kerala, it was about a decade ago when the state starts promoting the method of Ayurveda in a large scale. Since then, it was globally acknowledge and he even emphasized that they don't even need to market Ayurveda from scratch for it becomes a global term.

Aside from being known for Ayurveda, the state is also considered as the first baby-friendly state in the world. This becomes possible because Kerala have maintained their central focus on primary education and healths care which very unusual among the states in India. It is also the only state in the country wherein the sub-replacement fertility is implemented. This means that Kerala is now being associated with the developed countries such as Canada, Japan, Russia, United States of America and United Kingdom wherein the sub-replacement fertility rate is approximately below 2.1 children per woman's life time.

Conclusion
Kerala have been giving their health tourism a boost. The eye-catching sceneries and traditional health care system really becomes a perfect combination to lead their state at the top of the fierce competition in medical tourism. They were lucky enough to be blessed with such natural wonders that become very much advantageous to them in the promotion of tourism.

It would be very much adequate if they manage to continue such practices among the entire state and also within the entire country of India. Their highly develop health care system really enables them to attract foreign patients from abroad.

Moreover, the government of the State of Kerala is noticeably very responsible enough to come up with activities that would be beneficial not only for the state but as well as the inhabitants of the state. They become capable of eliminating poverty, unemployment and suicide rates within their area. Hence, if one is capable of providing such changes that will result to good outcome to the welfare of the state and the people, then this should be considered as a change among other states in India and even the other nation within the globe.

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