Hyderabad to Become South Asia’s Most Integrated Medical Value Tourism Destination

Hyderabad, February 21, 2026: A roundtable aimed at positioning Telangana as a leading destination for structured and coordinated medical tourism was recently organised by Telangana Tourism, bringing together senior representatives from government and industry. The discussion focused on deliberating the institutional role, governance structure, and long-term direction of the proposed Telangana State Medical Tourism Society (TGMTS), while also examining a framework for establishing an integrated Medical Value Tourism (MVT) hub in Hyderabad.

The first session focused on industry expectations from the Telangana State Medical Tourism Society (TGMTS) as the proposed central coordinating body for Medical Value Tourism in Telangana. The discussion examined the envisioned role of TGMTS in stakeholder alignment, facilitation, governance, and long-term sectoral coordination. Participants underscored Hyderabad’s competitive strengths, including strong clinical outcomes, advanced healthcare infrastructure, cost advantages, and a seamless healthcare-hospitality-aviation ecosystem.

These assets position the city to capture a larger share of the global medical tourism market. Key deliberations focused on establishing a Telangana Medical Tourism Society to effectively drive policy, global branding, international outreach, ethical self-regulation, and unified industry representation. They emphasised a comprehensive framework featuring transparent grievance redressal, targeted familiarisation programs for global delegates, and a formal licensing system for facilitators to uphold ethical practices, credibility, and consistent patient experiences.

The second session involved a detailed deliberation on a recommended framework for establishing an integrated MVT Hub in Hyderabad, proposed as one of the five national MVT hubs outlined in the Union Budget. The group deliberated on a green field medical city hub to be created that in a PPP model with hospitals, wellness providers, ayurveda institutes, medical college, research centers, tourism faciliation among others. A detailed recommednation paper would be created for the same.

India’s medical value travel sector continues to expand under the national Heal in India initiative, with industry estimates placing the market at $20.4 billion by 2026 and $25–28 billion by 2030, driven by rising global demand, improved visa facilitation, and integrated care delivery.

While Delhi and Chennai have traditionally led the sector, Hyderabad has consistently ranked among India’s top three medical value travel destinations and now seeks to move into a leadership position through the proposed TGMTS. International patient inflows to the city have more than doubled over the past decade, supported by 50+ NABH- and JCI-accredited hospitals, approximately 12,000 hospital beds, strong tertiary-care capabilities, competitive accommodation options, a well-developed tourism ecosystem, and global connectivity through Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, which handles over 31 million passengers annually.

Chairperson of the round table discussion, V. Kranthi, Managing Director, Telangana Tourism Development Corporation, said, “Hyderabad stands institutionally and operationally ready to scale as a globally trusted medical value tourism destination. With our integrated healthcare-hospitality-aviation ecosystem and clinical excellence, we are poised to lead as one of India’s five Regional Medical Value Tourism Hubs under the Union Budget 2026 vision.”

Moderator of the round table discussion, Shaaz Mehmood, industry expert and founder, Medijourn, added, “Hyderabad’s advanced infrastructure, cost competitiveness, and integrated ecosystem make it ideally positioned as one of India’s five Regional Medical Value Tourism Hubs. The proposed Telangana Medical Tourism Society will be at the forefront for policy advocacy, and enable joint international outreach.”