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Showing posts with label Tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tourism. Show all posts

Thursday, December 15, 2011

A Rewarding Career in Travel & Tourism Industry


The global tourism industry is booming presently. Number of domestic as well as international arrivals has more than tripled. The tourism industry accounts for more than $1000 billion and is expected to grow by 200% in next five years.

Tourism also in a major way contributes to the economy indirectly through its association with other sectors such as horticulture, agriculture, poultry, handicrafts and construction.

Career in Travel & Tourism

Travel and tourism is United States' 2nd largest service export industry, 3rd largest trade industry and one of the largest employment providers. There are various courses available that can help you become a part of this sector.

If you love to interact with people, travel to various places and be a part of the service industry, then a career in tourism is ideal for you. You can choose to become a travel agent, guide, tourism manager, tour operator, adventure travel guide, airline service staff and so on.

You can either join a diploma or a certificate course in tourism and travel. You can choose a Travel Agent Certificate program, Tour operator Certificate course, Airline Certificate course, Cruise Line Certification course, Hospitality courses, Tourism Management and so on.

What you get to learn?

One needs to have a good business sense to be in the travel industry. A course in tourism will teach you all aspects of becoming an effective travel professional. Some of the topics covered are:


National and International Air travel
Cruise Lines
Railway Reservations and travel
Lodging & Accommodations
Tour packages
Fare and reservation structures
About various Destinations
Quality Management
Project Supervision
Basics of Tourism Management
Organizational Behavior
Marketing Strategies

Various jobs opportunities are available within the public and private sectors. In the public sector, you can be employed with tourism department or directorates. A lot of interesting opportunities can be found with the private sector like Airlines, Tours Operators, Travel Agencies, Hotels and so on.

Job Profiles for Various Sectors

Tourism Department

In the tourism department, employment can be found in reservations, counter staff, marketing and sales, tour planners and tour guides. One can also be with the directorates and department of tourism. You get to be involved with the planning and promotion of tourism activities.

Airlines

Airlines provide a glamorous and rewarding job option. You can find employment as Traffic Assistant, Reservation Staff, Bookings Manager, Air hostesses & Stewarts, Sales and Marketing personnel etc.

Travel Agencies

Travel Agencies use agents to promote tour packages. They make arrangements of travel, accommodations, currency conversions, budgets, special needs, tourist attractions and planning. Tour operators organize tours to the various tourist spots and manage the travel and stay of the tourists.

Hotel Industry

One can find ample opportunities within the hotel industry in various departments. You can be a part of Operations, Front-office, House-keeping, Accounting, Maintenance, Public Relations and many more interesting departments.

Transport

Besides Airlines, travels include rail services, coach operators and car hire companies. Transport includes air, road, railways and sea. Job profile for people employed with rail and road transport includes planning, chalking out the tour program, calculating costs, arranging accommodation and other facilities like food and entertainment.

Personality Traits required to be a part of Tourism Sector

People who are a part of the tourism industry interact with people on a daily basis. There are certain personality traits required to efficiently handle the various responsibilities and tasks in the travel and tourism sector.


Good Inter-personal skills
Effective communication
High level of patience
Hardworking & Responsible
Good Marketing Skills
Creative Abilities
Ability to handle Emergencies
Organizational skills

Job Outlook for Travel & Tourism Industry

Experience, Marketing Skills, Communication skills and the Size and Location of the organization determine the salary of a travel agent/professional.

Full-time employee positions at travel companies are well-paid. Job prospects both in public and private sectors are excellent.

However, the most rewarding jobs for qualified tourism professionals are in the private sector with travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, railways, hotels, transport and cargo companies etc.

Jobs in the travel & tourism industry offer good remuneration and benefits, which include free travel for employees and their families. Salaries can vary depending on the industry and are higher in foreign airlines and agencies.

If you like traveling and have the ability to mingle well with people, tourism industry can take you places!




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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Aurangabad Tourism - Hotels in Aurangabad


Aurangabad was founded in 1610 by Malik Ambar as Khadke. Later it was renamed to Aurangabad after the name of the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. The place is famous for its scenic beauty and also its historical importance, and this explains why Aurangabad tourism is fast growing.

Aurangabad is a rocky plateau area with many caves and ravines, and the most famous among such caves are the caves of Ajanta and Ellora. These caves are famous for their sculptures of Gods and Goddesses and their depiction of the daily life of ancient civilizations. There are similarly themed murals inside the caves.

The city is also famous for the tomb of Aurangzeb and its windmills. Aurangabad has a host of hotels that priced according to the needs of the discerning tourists.

Hotels of Aurangabad

There are many different kinds of Aurangabad hotels designed to suit the varying tastes of different tourists. You can find hotels that are extremely economical and ideal to spend a night in, or you can opt for very luxurious hotels if you want to sightsee but also be pampered when you reach your room.

Hotel Quality Inn provides a brilliant lodging option away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The hotel is surrounded by eye catching and heartwarming serenity and scenic beauty. There is lush greenery everywhere and the meadows around the hotel add to the peaceful and ambrosial ambiance of the place.

The hotel is well furnished with well appointed 48 rooms, suites and cottages, climate control, tea and coffee makers, luxurious furnishing, and in-room refrigerators. Besides these, there is a swimming pool, gym, horse riding course, spa, massage center, and car rental and doctor on call services are also provided. There is a well-stocked bar and a multi cuisine restaurant.

Hotel Janaki Executive is a budget hotel aimed at business travelers and also leisure seekers. The hotel claims to provide excellent services and ambiance at competitive and affordable prices. The hotel has 15 well-furnished rooms with seven double bed and eight twin bed rooms loaded with modern amenities.

The rooms are air conditioned, with tea and coffee makers, direct dialing phones, 24 hour succinct room service, laundry service, and the hotel provides a travel desk, a doctor on call, a multi cuisine restaurant and a well-stocked bar.

Manasi hotel in Aurangabad is known for its distinctive architecture and interiors as well as a location which brings food lovers close to many delectable cuisines that are served in the hotel's restaurant. The hotel has 18 air conditioned rooms and suites bearing many modern amenities.

The hotel has all the facilities of a deluxe accommodation with AC rooms, direct dialing phones, tea and coffee makers, and even a health club, travel desk, a business center, and a well-equipped restaurant for a good culinary experience.




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Costa Rica Travel: Tourism Expectations Grow


Costa Rica is one of the most popular Latin American destinations for traveling coming from the United States. This is due to several factors, including the countries proximity to the United States, wonderful beaches, lush jungle, and interesting volcanoes. A Costa Rica vacation can be a very diverse and exciting experience. However, for the past two years, the country has experienced a tourism slump. One of the factors that contributed to this was the international economic down turn, which especially hurt eco-travel, an area where the country typically excels.

However, the new Tourism Minister thinks the slump is over. He announced this belief during a travel fair at the Expotur inauguration in downtown San Jose. Expotur is the country's largest tourism fair, and it is estimated that this tour brings in 70,000 new tourists each year. The Tourism Minister announced that for the first three months of 2011, the country saw an increase of 7.8 percent in tourism from foreigners.

The country's tourism board estimated that almost 50 percent of the two million people that flew into Costa Rica in 2010 participated in eco-tourism activity, and this generated close to one billion dollars in revenue.

There are numerous places to visit during your Costa Rica vacation. If you're interesting in seeing lava ooze down the side of a volcano, you should head to Arenal in the northern center of the country. From the town you have a remarkable view of the volcano, and you can take an Arenal tour to see the lava light up at night or soak the hot springs heated by the volcano.

If you'd like to experience some Caribbean vibes and catch a few waves, head to Puerto Viejo along the eastern coast. This tiny laid back town is a hippy haven and is perfect if you want to relax. There are not a lot of western-style developments here and most of the roads have not yet been paved. In addition to surfing and catching some sun, you can explore the rainforest, where you're likely to see monkey and other jungle wildlife.

If you want the beach but don't want to rough it, maybe you should take a trip to Jaco. Jaco is along the western coast and is primarily a tourist development. The town is full of bars, restaurants, and hotel, so everything you need is easily at your disposal. You can also check out the jungle here as well by visiting the Carara Biological Reserve.




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Building a Social Media Travel & Tourism Strategy


However, since the buzz about social media optimization continues, I find many digital marketers in the travel and tourism sector (not to mention generally) are still struggling with how to apply the latest and greatest tactics to drive real value from social media.

Many of the marketing people I speak working within the various hotel chains often claim to be undertaking a social marketing campaign. However, I meet very few who are doing this within a broader integrated campaign and at best is often a simply fan page on Kaixin, renren or Facebook. This is a very one dimensional understanding of the use of social media marketing and misses a huge opportunity to develop a dialog with communities of travelers (and potentially reach new clients).

Further, many hoteliers and other travel suppliers are not aware of their standing on travel review and social sites. They don't take advantage of the review sites, either as a way to gauge the competition or have a better understanding of the sentiment related to their brand. You should realize that when someone searches in a search engine, these review sites will be shown in the search results. Therefore it's critical to seed the basic listing info necessary to draw users into learning more about your service. In the travel planning and research cycle, exposure to your brand constantly reinforces the idea that you may just have something to suit a particular type of traveler. Be sure all of your information is up to date, including rates, URL, phone numbers, office hours, etc., and provide an accurate and unique description of the business to each site whenever possible. You'd be amazed how much of the information out there is out of date or duplicated across multiple sites based on outdated information. Test it out.. if you have not done so, pop your brand into Baidu or Google and look at the results.. also don't stop at page three.. I like to continuing looking at the search results on the 4th and 5th pages.. often this is where I find either the most positive or most negative feedback.

So a of couple of take always for those in the travel sector wanting to get more from social media marketing (smm). Understand your objectives of a social media campaign, understand the time-frame and what you are using to measure success, leverage review sites, use tools to measure your brands sentiment and also know where people are talking about you online.

Just as an online branding campaign is unique so is a SMM campaign. However, the tips above are universal and may help you in securing better outcomes for your campaign and ultimately your brand. If you have some more take aways of have suggestions on other key points please add them here.




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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

How to Create a Resume For the Travel & Tourism Industry

and tourism industry is booming and jobs and positions are available and are fun and surprisingly, pay very well. So, it is no surprise that securing a position in this industry can be rather difficult. The competition is fierce and a lot of people want the job.


To get a job in this industry, it is imperative to get ahead of the competition. Being passive and unmindful will leave you hoping in futility. Aside from improving your qualifications by educating yourself and getting certifications, you must know how to impress the potential employer with your resume. The resume will usually bring out first impressions. And when applying for a job, especially in travel and tourism, first impression is vital.


It is important to know the general likings of employers in the industry. You will base your resume making on this knowledge. Think of resume as an advertising information sheet. The goal is to generate appeal and professionalism.


When creating a resume, the key is highlighting the most relevant details. This is why you should know every company's preference when it comes to hiring applicants. In general, travel and tourism employers want someone with substantial people and organizing skills. They will also base hiring decisions on whether or not you have previous experiences in the industry and of course, relevant training and certifications as well.


If you are trying to break into the industry without any experience, consider using a functional or combination resume. That way, you can put the emphasis on your transferable skills and other applicable expertise you have. However, if you have vast experience in travel and tourism to date, the best format for you to use is a chronological resume.


List your previous accomplishments but don't make a laundry list of everything you've ever done. It is better to pick a few positions that are pertinent to your potential employer's liking. For instance, in your past work, put emphasis in the situations in which you helped solved a problem using your people and speaking skills. In your resume, state the accomplishments that draw attention to your ability to organize and manage difficult circumstances.


If possible, use numbers that can quantify your skills and feats. For example, write something like, 'An increase of 40% buyer turn out has resulted by implementation of sales pitch and promotional campaign that I helped develop.' Doing this, shows that you're results-oriented.


Create a section where you can put your other skills. The travel and tourism industry is a broad field, and the range of professional positions is extensive: receptionists, tour guides, hotel managers, convention planners, travel agents, accountants, and much more. You'll never know which skills can help you land a job. These kinds of skills could be good interpersonal skills, exceptional dependability or the ability to operate office machines such as copiers, fax machines and computers.


An impressive educational background should be exhibited if you have one but a college education is not always necessary If you have finished a number of relevant courses and acquired certifications, put them in your resume. You will give an impression that you are giving an effort to improve yourself. Thus, showing that you dependable and trainable.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Wiki Strategy: Promoting your Travel, Tourism or Lodging Website


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Wiki Strategy: Promoting your Travel, Tourism or Lodging Website


A wiki is a website which allows users to add and edit content collectively. "Wiki wiki" means "rapidly" in the Hawaiian language.cnn.com
A public wiki can be visited and edited by anyone using a browser. This creates a powerful online collaboration environment that is self-managed by its users. Wikis are considered part of the social internet, and a category of Web 2.0. There are many wikis that provide opportunities for hotels, inns, resorts and other tourism and hospitality businesses to post their own listings.
How big are Wikis? The most famous and, frankly, awe-inspiring wiki is Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org). According to Alexa, it is the 9th most popular website in the United states.
A private wiki can be password protected so only users can view and edit the information. This makes an excellent collaboration tool for your hotel's work-team. We have tested over a dozen wikis for this purpose, and currently use several within our offices and manage hundreds of pages of collaboratively edited information.
From a hospitality and tourism marketing strategy perspective, a Wiki offers you the opportunity to copywrite about your own area and business. The results will send your website qualified traffic, let you manage your hospitality brand, and most likely send you qualified traffic and online revenue. These are entirely free marketing resources, but you must make the time to utilize them.

Before you start exploring and entering your own copy, take 20 or 30 minutes and learn how to edit a page.
Etiquette: many wikis let you make updates anonymously. Ideally, you should log-in and create an identity. Don't be self-serving or self-promoting -- while you want your business added, it is better to build out complementary and appropriate information as part of adding your business (depends on the wiki what that info is. It is OK to correct mistakes, it is not OK to remove competitors. When you add a new page, make sure you start with the template that is appropriate. If you make mistakes, other people will fix them, and if you "spam" with inappropriate content, other people will remove you.
Wikipedia is a powerful resource that many hospitality businesses should be added to. Also check out its sister site, Wikitravel (www.wikitravel.org) for a website that is definitely appropriate for any hotel, inn, resort, hospitality or tourism website. Taking a few hours to create an information rich page about your area, your niche and/or your business is worth your time.
Wikicompany is a business focused resource that lets you add your company for free in just a few moments. See the listing I made for a hotel website marketing company.
There is a growing number of niche wikis, an example being SingleTrackwiki for mountain bikers. Keep your eye out for these and add to them if appropriate. They always appreciate quality content.
RoaringForkWiki. is an example of a wiki about an geographic area, the Roaring Fork Valley. That is the home of Blizzard Internet Marketing, and is a wiki produced and managed by Blizzard.
Many people want to set up their own wikis about topics they are passsionate about, or about their area. Mediawiki is a professional level version for real geeks. I would generally recommend you try an easy online versions try wetpaint, seedwiki, jotspot or stikipad which are easy to setup and get going.
We recommend you take a few hours and implement an online marketing strategy to promote your Travel, Tourism or Hotel website in wikis.
Resources:
Qwika is a wiki search engine if you want to search over 1000 wikis at once. Its results are dominated by wikipedia.
Check out the html to wiki tool if you plan on migrating web-based content to a wiki.
Mashable Blog on Stikipad
More about WikiCompany
New York Times on wikis in businessgoogle.com

History of Travel & Tourism

2000 years Before Christ, in India and Mesopotamia


Travel for trade was an important feature since the beginning of civilisation. The port at Lothal was an important centre of trade between the Indus valley civilisation and the Sumerian civilisation.


600 BC and thereafter


The earliest form of leisure tourism can be traced as far back as the Babylonian and Egyptian empires. A museum of historic antiquities was open to the public in Babylon. The Egyptians held many religious festivals that attracted the devout and many people who thronged to cities to see famous works of arts and buildings.


In India, as elsewhere, kings travelled for empire building. The Brahmins and the common people travelled for religious purposes. Thousands of Brahmins and the common folk thronged Sarnath and Sravasti to be greeted by the inscrutable smile of the Enlightened One- the Buddha.


500 BC, the Greek civilisation


The Greek tourists travelled to sites of healing gods. The Greeks also enjoyed their religious festivals that increasingly became a pursuit of pleasure, and in particular, sport. Athens had become an important site for travellers visiting the major sights such as the Parthenon. Inns were established in large towns and seaports to provide for travellers' needs. Courtesans were the principal entertainment offered.



This era also saw the birth of travel writing. Herodotus was the worlds' first travel writer. Guidebooks also made their appearance in the fourth century covering destinations such as Athens, Sparta and Troy. Advertisements in the way of signs directing people to inns are also known in this period.


The Roman Empire


With no foreign borders between England and Syria, and with safe seas from piracy due to Roman patrols, the conditions favouring travel had arrived. First class roads coupled with staging inns (precursors of modern motels) promoted the growth of travel. Romans travelled to Sicily, Greece, Rhodes, Troy and Egypt. From 300 AD travel to the Holy Land also became very popular. The Romans introduced their guidebooks (itineraria), listing hotels with symbols to identify quality.


Second homes were built by the rich near Rome, occupied primarily during springtime social season. The most fashionable resorts were found around Bay of Naples. Naples attracted the retired and the intellectuals, Cumae attracted the fashionable while Baiae attracted the down market tourist, becoming noted for its rowdiness, drunkenness and all- night singing.


Travel and Tourism were to never attain a similar status until the modern times.


In the Middle Ages


Travel became difficult and dangerous as people travelled for business or for a sense of obligation and duty.


Adventurers sought fame and fortune through travel. The Europeans tried to discover a sea route to India for trade purposes and in this fashion discovered America and explored parts of Africa. Strolling players and minstrels made their living by performing as they travelled. Missionaries, saints, etc. travelled to spread the sacred word.


Leisure travel in India was introduced by the Mughals. The Mughal kings built luxurious palaces and enchanting gardens at places of natural and scenic beauty (for example Jehangir travelled to Kashmir drawn by its beauty.


Travel for empire building and pilgrimage was a regular feature.


The Grand Tour


From the early seventeenth century, a new form of tourism was developed as a direct outcome of the Renaissance. Under the reign of Elizabeth 1, young men seeking positions at court were encouraged to travel to continent to finish their education. Later, it became customary for education of gentleman to be completed by a 'Grand Tour' accompanied by a tutor and lasting for three or more years. While ostensibly educational, the pleasure seeking men travelled to enjoy life and culture of Paris, Venice or Florence. By the end of eighteenth century, the custom had become institutionalised in the gentry. Gradually pleasure travel displaced educational travel. The advent of Napoleonic wars inhibited travel for around 30 years and led to the decline of the custom of the Grand Tour.


The development of the spas


The spas grew in popularity in the seventeenth century in Britain and a little later in the European Continent as awareness about the therapeutic qualities of mineral water increased. Taking the cure in the spa rapidly acquired the nature of a status symbol. The resorts changed in character as pleasure became the motivation of visits. They became an important centre of social life for the high society.


In the nineteenth century they were gradually replaced by the seaside resort.


The sun, sand and sea resorts


The sea water became associated with health benefits. The earliest visitors therefore drank it and did not bathe in it. By the early eighteenth century, small fishing resorts sprung up in England for visitors who drank and immersed themselves in sea water. With the overcrowding of inland spas, the new sea side resorts grew in popularity. The introduction of steamboat services in 19th century introduced more resorts in the circuit. The seaside resort gradually became a social meeting point


 Role of the industrial revolution in promoting travel in the west


 The rapid urbanisation due to industrialisation led to mass immigration in cities. These people were lured into travel to escape their environment to places of natural beauty, often to the countryside they had come from change of routine from a physically and psychologically stressful jobs to a leisurely pace in countryside.


Highlights of travel in the nineteenth century 


·        Advent of railway initially catalysed business travel and later leisure travel. Gradually special trains were chartered to only take leisure travel to their destinations.


·        Package tours organised by entrepreneurs such as Thomas Cook.


·        The European countries indulged in a lot of business travel often to their colonies to buy raw material and sell finished goods.


·        The invention of photography acted as a status-enhancing tool and promoted overseas travel.


·        The formation of first hotel chains; pioneered by the railway companies who established great railway terminus hotels.


·        Seaside resorts began to develop different images as for day-trippers, elite, for gambling.


·        Other types of destinations-ski resorts, hill stations, mountaineering spots etc.


·        The technological development in steamships promoted travel between North America and Europe.


·        The Suez Canal opened direct sea routes to India and the Far East.


·        The cult of the guidebook followed the development of photography.


 


 


Tourism in the Twentieth Century


 


The First World War gave first hand experience of countries and aroused a sense of curiosity about international travel among less well off sector for the first time. The large scale of migration to the US meant a lot of travel across the Atlantic. Private motoring began to encourage domestic travel in Europe and the west.  The sea side resort became annual family holiday destination in Britain and increased in popularity in other countries of the west. Hotels proliferated in these destinations.


The birth of air travel and after


The wars increased interest in international travel. This interest was given the shape of mass tourism by the aviation industry. The surplus of aircrafts and growth of private airlines aided the expansion of air travel. The aircraft had become comfortable, faster and steadily cheaper for overseas travel. With the introduction of Boeing 707 jet in 1958, the age of air travel for the masses had arrived. The beginning of chartered flights boosted the package tour market and led to the establishment of organised mass tourism. The Boeing 747, a 400 seat craft, brought the cost of travel down sharply. The seaside resorts in the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Caribbean were the initial hot spots of mass tourism.


A corresponding growth in hotel industry led to the establishment of world-wide chains. Tourism also began to diversify as people began to flock alternative destinations in the 70s. Nepal and India received a throng of tourists lured by Hare Krishna movement and transcendental meditation. The beginning of individual travel in a significant volume only occurred in the 80s. Air travel also led to a continuous growth in business travel especially with the emergence of the MNCs.


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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Palace Station Hotel and Casino


2411 W Sahara Ave Las Vegas, NV 89102 United States of America
  1-866-599-6674

Casino hotel a quarter-mile from the Strip

Shuttle convenience
Located a mile from the Strip's north end and 2 miles from downtown, Palace Station offers shuttle service to McCarran Airport and the Strip.
Dining options
Extras at this Las Vegas hotel include a pool and desert-garden sundeck; more than a dozen food-and-drink options, including an Irish pub; and a casino with slots, table games, and bingo.
Courtyard or tower
Palace Station's courtyard and tower guestrooms offer high-speed Internet access, voice mail, and TVs with pay movies. All courtyard rooms are smoke-free.http://www.expedia.com

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Consumer Guide to medical tourism


When buying a new car or even a small inexpensive object, you are probably buying guide or try to learn what others are saying, who bought the product in the past about it to make a smart shopping decision. But when it comes to buying health, you are doing the same thing? You should.
Global health was held today. The rising cost of health care in the United States has led many Americans to search for health services in other countries. There are vendors worldwide, selling health-care services, packaged in attractive and exciting packages on the Internet. And people shopping for health on the Internet the same way as they shop goods. The market is becoming increasingly important to undergo a medical tourism consumer guide before you install to your medical visit travel.
Here's a quick consumer guide for your reference when purchasing the services of medical tourism.
Medical tourism can solve your problem?
Firstly, finding the correct medical tourism to solve the problem. For most people this high price, which asks them to a local hospital due to a lack of insurance or long waiting for surgery. You may have another problem but medical tourism will help you solve that? Find out if medical tourism is suitable for you, read the facts and frequently asked questions about it.
What are your expectations from a medical procedure, are you looking for?
This is a procedure that you are looking for elective or medically indicated? Learn all you can about the medical procedure in question. This will help you answer a few questions: the right treatment for your condition; You are a suitable candidate for this processing; You should get this treatment abroad; What is physical therapy and follow-up care you need; You need an urgent procedure or can it wait, or in other words, when the right time for assistance; how much time you'll need to take off from work (which will include not only the time that you are abroad for surgery, but the recovery time after returning); and so on.
The fact that all countries are, where you can get treatment?
Check out the various international destinations that offer treatment that you require. Some countries are known to offer good orthopaedic treatment, some of their cardio-vascular surgery, some cosmetic procedures and others for their dental work. Travel and accommodation expenses add your final account thus consider these costs not only in the calculation of the expected savings, but also in selecting international destination for your treatment.
How do you smell good provider from the bad?
The Internet gave anyone and everyone has the right to sell their services, making all too easy for the consumer to land in the wrong place. When examining a specific hospital or clinic are not slick web sites offering services for sale. This, of course, this does not mean that the slick websites offering health services in the sale are not authentic. The thing that you should do your research properly on a hospital or clinic, you are looking at. Ask people around who used their services in the past. Read their clients testimonials. Learn about certification of their doctors, qualifications, training and experience. Call them and find out what equipment and technology they use. All this will give you a fair idea of the quality of health care provider. Ask for quotes from different providers and compare them. As you will notice, costs vary from country to country and from provider to provider. You should not automatically choose the one that offers the lowest prices, but should base its decision on the quality of care offered.
There are medical records?
Get all your health records in order. During the pre-consultation doctor foreign may ask your digital medical records so he can assess your condition and treatment.
You have your passport and visa yet?
Next, get your Passport if you don't have one. Any companions travelling with you also need to purchase them. Depending on the destination that you headline may require an entry visa and must therefore also apply to this for you and any companions.
Booking your transportation and lodging
Book your tickets and hotel rooms in advance. After your operation, you can recover in a hotel or resort or go traveling in a foreign State, if allowed by your doctor. However, travel or tourism should always take a back seat to your medical trip abroad.
Taking appropriate follow-up care
Finally, remember that your treatment doesn't end with your surgery. As you follow the subsequent rituals as important as your surgery. If necessary, prepare your home for recovery before leaving for the surgery, like rearranging furniture. In addition, if you even limited insurance cover, to find out if your Insurer reimburses you and how they will recover. Even small amounts can help.
Higher medical tourism consumer guide will help you make the right decisions when purchasing foreign medical assistance. To facilitate your work, you can use the service provider medical tourism to research, plan, organize, schedule and book your medical travel journey. Medical tourism providers like Healthbase connect you to the Hospital of your choice and give you and many other services related to this saves precious time, resources and money.
You can learn more about medical tourism, international healthcare workers and details of the medical tourism http://www.healthbase.comlogged in. Healthbase is medical tourism facilitator, pledged to provide inexpensive high-quality medical services to the global health of the consumer.

Global Healthcare - Selecting the Right Medical Tourism Agent


Global healthcare dates back centuries to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians travelling to hot mineral springs to obtain their healing benefits. Today global healthcare, or medical tourism is done through medical tourism agents (also known as facilitators). It has become very popular due to the higher level of care received, better recovery and deep discounts over U.S. healthcare.
For Americans, medical tourism is a new concept and many stumbling into it have no idea where to start when it comes to selecting a medical tourism agent. This medical tourism guide will give you a good idea of what you should look for when selecting a medical tourism agent or agency.
Company Size: How big is the company? Is the company real? The problem with finding a company online is you never know what is behind the company. There have been countless occasions when the businesses street address points to a house.
Time in business: Ask how long your medical tourism agency has been in business. It is also good to ask how they got their start. When you find a destination you like, it is a good idea to call the hospital and see if they know who the company is that you are booking through.
Network: How big is the network? When you need a heart stint do you want a network with 1 heart hospital or a network with all the very best heart hospitals the world has to offer? When it comes to your health make sure you are searching from the best hospitals. Global healthcare isn't global healthcare if it only extends to 3 or 4 countries.
Services: What services are included by the company? Do they pick you up at the hotel and airport? Is there a follow up? Do your medical records go directly to the doctor?
Quality of hospitals: Quality should be your greatest concern. There are world-class hospitals that surpass the quality and level of care in the United States. Hospital accreditations are a good place to start.
Member base: Are you travelling alone or with the power of members? There are companies that are membership based. This gives you far greater advantage when travelling, including no mark-ups on your procedure.
Communications: Are there transparent lines of communication between you, the doctor and the international patient coordinator? When it comes to your health, nothing should stand between you and your provider.
Money Transfer: I highly highly highly do not recommend travelling with cash or using credit cards to pay for your procedure. Carrying a large amount of cash puts you at risk, and credit card charges in foreign countries can be extremely high (as much as 18%). Always make sure you are paying the hospital directly.
Testimonials: Testimonials and references are always a must. This will put you at ease when it comes to seeing a new doctor. You can ask the company or the doctor directly for references.
This is just a guide to selecting your medical tourism company. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable with your medical tourism agent and your doctor

Get the Best Healthcare Cum Tourism Benefits With Medical Tourism


There are many people who avoid going on a vacation just because they are undergoing any treatment and they cannot waste their money in going on a vacation. Since everyone likes to explore new places, this seems quite disheartening that one is restraining him or herself just because of poor health. For people who cannot enjoy every brighter aspect of life just because of their poor health, medical tourism is such a service, which incorporates the finest tourism and medical benefits. In a broad sense, it can be defined as the provision of cost effective medical services in collaboration with the tourism industry; basically, this service is tailored for patients needing surgical and other kind of specialized treatments.
This service is facilitated by the corporate sector involved in medical care and tourism industry; moreover, both private and public sectors equally participate in providing people with the great medical tourism service. It refers to traveling to other countries to get specialized and cost effective medical care. People, who go for medical tourism, also experience the attractions of the destination country. Since, cost of healthcare services is very high, a patient can get cost effective but specialized treatment with it; at the same time he or she can also explore the beauty and culture of that country. It is quite true that the credit of making these services popular among global patients goes to globalization; it is global communication and unity that made it possible for every patient to have the best healthcare services in foreign countries. At present, n numbers of countries are conducting these double beneficial traveling and healthcare packages; these countries include a wide network of service providers such as airlines, hotels and resorts, traveling agents and hospitals so that a patient may get best care and services at every step.
Countries that are involved in medical tourism also offer numerous options for touring, visiting the attractions, shopping and exploring. These services are efficient enough to make one's visit comfortable as well as memorable; in fact, a patient can also extend his or her package by paying some additional cost. Though India and South America are the most popular choices for medical tourism at present but as this industry is growing so rapidly, many other countries are also coming forward with excellent healthcare cum touring services. Since going abroad to have any specific treatment enclose a wide variety of benefits, every year more and more people are approaching these countries.
If you consider your health problems as a nightmare due to the high cost of treatments and healthcare services, then just go for medical tourism and explore the destination country with the best medical services. Definitely, it is the lure of affordable medical services that is making thousands of people move towards these countries. In fact, this lure is quite obvious, as these countries are not only rich in natural and historical beauty but are also equipped with various major hospitals. It is for sure that these healthcare centers and hospitals will never let you realize the shortage of any facility as they are well outfitted with latest technology and high-tech equipments.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Understanding Medical Tourism and Its Affordability in India


Every human in this earth has a dream to excel and earn a better and comfortable livelihood. To achieve this people works so hard and often lead hectic schedules in life. They hardly get proper time to eat and sleep and merely forget how important their health is if they are to stay fit and keep working and earning.

Someone has rightly said that "health is wealth" - if you are in good health, you can earn in a variety of ways but ill health deteriorates your plan and your dreams can not be fulfilled. Now the treatment cost skyrocketing, it is better if you stay healthy otherwise be informed beforehand where to seek medical assistance to get healed from your ailments.

The concept of traveling to distant places for health check-up is a talked-about issue today as this process has significantly aided people in earning good health in considerably reduced cost. This concept has given the term "Medical Tourism" and many Asian counties like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, countries like South Africa and Australia are popularly known for medical tourism but the strong competent with these countries is India, and the industry related is the India Medical Tourism Industry.

Yes! You read it right. Today India has become a preferred medical tourism destination for the people around the globe. Reasons behind this popularity are varied, which are discussed below in detail.

Affordable Cost - Treatment cost in India is far cheaper in comparison to cost needed for the treatment in the US, the UK and other European and Asian Countries. For an example, bone marrow transplant in the US cost $250,000 and £150,000 in the UK whereas the procedure with same compatibility and success rate is done at $26,000 in India. Heart surgery and cardiac care cost around $200,000 in the US which is done in India at as low as $30,000. Gastric bypass cost $65,000 in the US and £34,800 in the UK but the process in done in $9,500 in India. In addition to this, mostly the health care packages include airfare, hotel charges and a package to famous tourist destinations in India. Is not this a good idea?

World Class Health Care Centers - India has many corporate hospitals that are highly compatible to the hospitals in the US and other developed nations. Hospitals are well equipped sophisticated instruments, machines and laboratories that can deliver quick and accurate diagnosis and health care solutions. One health care official in Delhi has once said that once the door is closed, you will find yourself in the US.

Qualified Health-Care Professionals- Indian doctors are well qualified, highly trained and most of them have working experience in western counties hospitals. Hence, they know how to care and deliver quality medical treatments to international patients.

Quick Treatment Availability - People in countries like Canada and the UK has to encounter long waiting list that last more than a year if they want hip replacement surgery and this could be really painful and tiresome for the patients. But the case is something different in India as the patients would be in operating room the next morning they reach India for the process.

Availability of Linguistic Expert - Just imagine you landed in a foreign land and there is no one to understand your problem and needs and it is a dreaded nightmare for many people. But nothing as such will happen if you are traveling to India because you will find widely English speaking people in India or you can easily hire linguistic experts in case you need people knowing languages other than English.

Despite these major factors, medical tourism company in India can manage budget fitting tour packages and luxury to affordable hotels to stay. To make your trip more memorable one, you are cordially received at the airport and taken to hotels or directly to the hospital in case of emergency. Medical tourism agencies in India [http://www.india-medical-tourism.info] can manage a touring guide, avail car rental facility to give a comfortable ride during your health care cum touring vacation to India.

If you are looking for health check-up, think on visiting to India for the same. Due to thorough standardization and capability of delivering competitive health care, most Indian hospitals have been consecutively accredited by Joint Commission International. Medical treatments are highly affordable and you can strengthen yourself post-treatment by visiting most desired locations in India at a same go. Many has been benefited, they have wisely saved their hard-earned money, so be smart by making wise selections.




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The first half of 2009 has been sordid thanks to the invasion of the recession, terrorism and new health concerns that have left many key industries across India and the rest of the world in a lurch. The ghosts of 2008 just refuse to die down and continue to haunt the world economies! While the global tourism industry and the Indian tourism industry in particular is no exception to this, experts see this as an opportunity in crisis. The key lies in identifying the problems, fixing them and this is just the right time to do it! However, it will take a concerted effort by India, the winner of three awards of the United Nations World Tourism Organization including Asia's favourite tourist destination in 2007, to see through this turmoil. All this makes the World Tourism Day on September 27 this year even more challenging and exciting like never before!
This is the time to clean up the system
Globally, the
tourism ministries in many countries and in India are gearing up to do well out of this world economic calamity. These efforts assume significance as the global travel and tourism industry is one of the world's largest industries, employing nearly 231 million people and generating over 10.4 per cent of world GDP. And according to the Ministry of Tourism in India, in 2007, 5 million tourists visited India and spent nearly $11.5 billion. The World Tourism Organisation 2020 vision estimates that around 5.08 million tourists will visit India by 2010 which is likely to touch 8.9 million by 2020. India and China have so far been resilient during recession and the recent World Bank report has not only endorsed this but predicts a decent growth for the two Asian giants. Thus, as far as the tourism industry is concerned, India is well poised to cash in on the global recession only if it makes up its mind to roll up its sleeves and work around a host of domestic and international tourism related issues.

The international and domestic issues that affects tourism in India
A weaker American and European economies that are already stung by recession has a spiralling effect on the global corporate world which is on a cost-cutting spree. This means lesser business and personal travels to India. The country is also facing newer challenges in health scares like the Swine flu, racism scandals, and poor protection for foreigners in certain tourists' locations, climatic changes, inadequate manpower and the monsoon failures. Estimates have put that India would need at least 200,000 people to cater to the country's growing
tourism needs. Then there are the proverbial infrastructure problems like poor road connectivity, non-modernisation of airports, lack of world class food and accommodation facilities in hot tourism spots and the sluggish pace in identifying and developing tourist destinations and circuits. All these could have far-reaching impacts on the tourism industry in India.

Internally, India's domestic tourism industry is on a boom. Literally a money spinner, the domestic tourism industry too faces similar issues and these will have to be sorted out simultaneously. Hence, it will take collaborative and focused efforts on the part of the Indian tourism ministry and other related ministries to tackle these issues and set up new standards.
Tackling the issuesTourism is multi sectoral. It has to coordinate and work with other industries and ministries to remove bottlenecks in infrastructure, travel, health, food and accommodation and other facilities. The key is to offer a world class experience for tourists visiting India.
1. Creating a healthy environment, literally
On one hand, the
medical tourism industry is on a roll. The country is witnessing a huge influx of tourists from all over the world for medical treatment purposes. This calls for steadying up the healthcare facilities and switching on the 'always on the ready' mode in terms of modernisation of equipments and qualified manpower. The invasion of new health scares like the recent H1N1 scare could make a dent on the tourists' visiting the country. These health scares will have its impact on the domestic tourism scenario as well. The health ministry will have to roll out promising measures and work with the public in creating a safer, healthier atmosphere for all tourists visiting India.

2. Infrastructure woes
Presently, the thrust remains on the construction, maintenance, and development of roads, rails and airways that connect the various tourist destinations in the country. For this the Ministry of
Tourism has to coordinate with the ministry of road transport and highways, the civil aviation and the railway ministry. The source of funds for these all-important development activities could also come from the various IPOs. However, this could happen only when the present rule of not allowing banks in India to accept deposits beyond 10 years is relaxed. The finance for infrastructure is a long term plan and runs for 15-20 years. Hence only if banks are allowed to have long-term funds, this mismatch could be removed.

3. Development of world class hotels
Accommodation continues to be the central plank of the development strategy of
tourism in India. This is an area where the Government will have to spruce up its coordination with not only the states and union territories but also with private players. Tourists from foreign countries not only will expect safety and world class facilities in the hotels they stay but also close proximity to the tourists' hotspots. Hence, there is an increasing need to identify, set up and maintain world class accommodation facilities near the heritage sites, and other tourists' destinations in the country.

On the food front, though it is a fact that tourists' visiting India loves the spicy Indian food, the lack of stringent food laws and restrictions, however, remains an issue. In addition to the variety, there has to be quality and safety too in the food offered.
Research, plan, and perform!Tourism is not just about visiting a country. A tourist may visit a country for various reasons. For example, many tourists from different parts of the world see India as a hub of medical tourism. So is the adventure tourism sector which offers mountaineering, skiing, ice skating, paragliding, and rock climbing opportunities in some of the country's finest landscapes, seas and ice capped mountains. Further cruise tourism which is very popular in the Caribbean, Latin America and some South-east Asian countries is gaining foothold in India's vast coastlines and unexplored jungles and destinations. Rural tourism, eco-tourism are also good potentials for India's tourism sector. It is high time the Ministry of Tourism focuses more on eco-tourism as it will serve as an educative tool for domestic and foreign tourists in observing wildlife, learning about the environment and understanding and conservation of the environment. Hence, understanding and solving these issues becomes all the more important. For this, the country needs well chalked out plans, funds from different sources, adequate manpower, and updated technology, round the clock concerted coordination between the various ministries and private players and above all the urge to make India the most favoured tourist destination in the country.
The World Travel & Tourism Council declares that the World Tourism Day is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. And India, being an important member of the global tourism industry, has to make concerted efforts to understand, draft plans and ease the impact of the repercussions of the recent challenges in the social, cultural, political and economic spectrums. This will not only prove to be an antidote for its own domestic tourism troubles and unemployment concerns but also set an example for the rest of the world. Only then the real meaning of Atithi Devo Bhava, the slogan for Incredible India, will serve its full purpose!

As the recession continues and an increasing number of people are searching for ways to save their money, some are turning to medical tourism for cheaper medical treatment. Patients from the United States often go to Mexico or South America for lower cost medical care, while people from Europe and Australia often go to Thailand for cheaper medical treatments. Although physicians in other countries often charge less money for plastic surgery, non-invasive cosmetic care, and other treatments, there can be a downside to medical tourism. This article discusses some of the downsides to traveling to another country for medical care.
Recovery in a Foreign Country
Patients that undergo plastic surgery procedures such as breast augmentation, tummy tuck, and facelift surgery have to endure an uncomfortable recovery period for at least a few days following surgery. Most people would prefer to recover from the comfort of their home rather than in a hotel room in a foreign country. Patients often feel better when they are surrounded by their own things, can watch the television shows and movies that they are accustomed to, and receive help from loved ones.
Cost of Travel
While the cost of plastic surgery, dental procedures, and other medical treatments may be cheaper in other countries, the cost of air travel, a hotel room, and rental car can make the cost of medical care in other countries comparable to the cost of treatment in the United States. Plane flights to other countries can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars. Hotel accommodations for a week can cost hundreds of dollars or more, depending on where you stay. Once travel expenses are accounted for, the cost of treatment does not seem quite as low.
Doctor Qualifications
Although there are many qualified surgeons operating in other countries, it is up to each patient to do their due diligence and research the doctor's education, training, and experience to ensure that your physician is capable of performing your treatment

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The cost of healthcare is on the rise, and for people without any medical insurance, a medical procedure can potentially burden them with an enormous debt. With the lack of affordable healthcare in the US has come a rise and rapid growth of the medical tourism industry.
Medical tourism refers to the act of traveling, usually to a foreign country, for the purpose of finding more affordable healthcare. This is not a new industry however. For years people who were seeking cosmetic surgery or dental work that their insurance companies would not pay for (was simply too expensive to have done in their home country) would go overseas to get the procedures done. Inversely, wealthy people from the Middle East would visit the United States and Europe to take advantage of their state of the art medical facilities.
What is happening now is that people without insurance, or with high deductible health plans are going overseas to get all kinds of procedures. Medical travel is not limited to just those seeking cosmetic surgery or elective surgery anymore. People are traveling to get virtually every kind of procedure done whether it is organ transplantation, open-heart surgery, cancer therapy, bone marrow transplants, hip and knee replacements, or fertility treatments, among many others, in addition to dental and cosmetic surgery. These procedures are done at a fraction of the cost to what they would cost in the United States. Even with combining the airfare, hotel accommodations, meals, and all other travel expenses, the cost is still significantly less than what it would cost having the procedure done here. In other countries, such as Canada or the UK with their universal healthcare, people participate in medical tourism because of the long wait time it takes to receive certain procedures in their home countries.
Upon hearing the incredibly low costs of their procedures in these medical travel destination facilities, some folks may draw the conclusion that the major drawback of medical tourism would be a sacrifice in the quality of care. This is not true. With state of the art facilities and excellent physicians, the care is comparable, and in some cases, superior to the care one would receive stateside. Medical tourism destination hospitals offer a "patient driven" environment, where patient satisfaction is a high priority. Word-of-mouth recommendations and referrals by satisfied patients helps drive their business.
For those interested in learning about medical tourism, research is very important. At OnlineMedicalTourism.com you will find a wealth of information regarding your options including: medical tourism facilities, costs, medical tourism information, travel providers, and things to be cautious about when undertaking medical tourism. With the appropriate research you can feel safe knowing you are going to a trusted state of the art facility where you not only will receive quality care with experienced physicians and medical staff, but also save a lot of money.

The flourishing medical travel industry has seen the sudden rise of agencies offering to become the one-stop post for people who are considering travelling abroad to receive their dental, surgical, or cosmetic treatments there. A medical tourism company is often the first face-to-face encounter a person has with medical tourism. Undoubtedly, these fairly new enterprises are the reason for the boom in tourists flocking from one country to another to get treated. However, with so many operations popping up, which one do you pick? Here are some tips:
1. Ask questions about the medical providers they are associated with.
In this business, the quality of service received is the primary concern, with cost of services only coming in second. Therefore, the company you are considering should have established relationships with internationally-accredited hospitals and highly-qualified doctors who can provide the best foreign medical service you require. You should also conduct your own research about these providers to gain a more objective view of them.
2. Look into the services the company provides.
There are several classes of medical tourism agents or facilitators. Some are hotel groups who offer travel services to medical tourists. There are also foreign hospitals having tie-ups with U.S.-based hospitals. These companies are not necessarily fraudulent, but they do not offer the full package that medical tourism agencies do provide. For good measure, ask if they offer the following services: pre and post-care video-conferencing with your foreign practitioner, 24/7 care management, aid in looking for financial assistance, concierge services such as documents processing and local and international transportation, and vacation services like tour organizing.
3. Always go for a duly-accredited medical company.
The Medical Tourism Association is a non-profit organization composed of top international hospitals, insurance companies, and medical travel facilitators dedicated to promoting a high quality of international medical care. Check that your chosen company if it is affiliated with the MTA. The MTA is also currently developing a medical tourism company certification program and will soon be the first body to set the official standards for becoming a qualified medical tourism agent.
4.Look for transparency.
Most fraudulent businesses have complaints lodged against them with the Better Business Bureau. If you agent will not answer your questions regarding unresolved issues, the BBB can easily answer them for you. Anyone can easily come up with a website and throw in a couple of lines to convince you that they are authentic agents. We should, by now, know better.