INVC,,
Delhi,,
Ministry of Tourism organized a one day workshop on Wellness Tourism on 15 February 2011 in Hotel Ashok in Delhi. This workshop was organized with the active participation of Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) to define the areas of development in the wellness industry and strategize with the help of the industry for defining the road map for the government for next few years. Honorable Minister of Tourism Shri. Subodh Kant Sahai as the chief Guest released the Accreditation Standards for Wellness Centres. These Standards were prepared by NABH and are already approved by the Department of AYUSH.. Secretary-Department of AYUSH, Secretary-Ministry of Tourism, Additional Secretary-Ministry of Tourism, Secretary General- Quality Council of India and Chairman -NABH Board are the other dignitaries were present. About 150 participants representing the captains of the wellness industry participated in the workshop to deliberate on the currently prevalent 4 areas, namely; Ayurveda wellness centres, Spas, Skincare Centres, Cosmetic Care Centres, Gymnasiums, Fitness Centers, preventive health care centres, yoga centres etc. so as to further develop wellness tourism as a niche product by Ministry of Tourism and discussed on following topics 1. Accreditation and Way ahead 2. Capacity Building and Training of wellness professional 3. Promotion of different components of wellness 4. Promotion of wellness tourism in India and abroad Accreditation Standards for Wellness Centres provide framework for quality of care for customers and quality improvement for Wellness Centres. The standards help to build a quality culture at all level and across all the functions of Wellness Centre. NABH Standards has ten chapters incorporating 84 standards and 396 objective elements. Accreditation Standards for Wellness Centres contains complete set of standards for evaluation of Wellness Centres for grant of accreditation. The standards focus on all aspects of service delivery like customer rights and education, infection control practices, trained and experienced staff, infrastructure, environment safety, processes and controls among many others, statutory & regulatory compliances. Releasing the Quality Standards the Union Minister of Tourism Shri. Subodh Kant Sahai said that the Wellness Tourism Sector in India should adopt the principle of “Athithi Devo Bhavah” in true letter and spirit which is age old and established constituent of Indian way of life. Speaking at the occasion Mr. Sultan Ahmed, Minister of State for tourism applauded the efforts of ministry of Tourism to partner with Dept of AYUSH and Quality Council of India in its initiative to position wellness as a tourism product. He said “ It is essential for destinations to create unique travel experiences on an emotional, physical, intellectual, and even spiritual level.” Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Girdhar J Gyani, Secretary General, Quality Council of India (QCI) said that though the Accreditation Program for Wellness Centres is a voluntary programme but it would go a long way in enhancing the growth & credibility of the Wellness Industry in India and also build consumer trust in a wellness brand. Secretary Tourism stressed on the importance for quality standards and sustaining these standards specially in the tourism services for customer satisfaction. 
