The Hindu Business Line : Minister urges norms for beauty industry

The Union Minister for Tourism, Ms Renuka Choudhury, with the Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr Prathap C. Reddy, at the Beauwell India 2005 conference in Chennai on Tuesday. — Bijoy Ghosh

Chennai , March 8

WITH the growth in the wellness and beauty industry comes the need for self-regulation, the Union Minister of State for Tourism, Ms Renuka Choudhury, has said.

As more people visit salons for treatments and makeovers, the time has come to categorise and standardise beauty salons, she said at Beauwell India 2005, a two-day conference on beauty and wellness, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The Government has embarked on the exercise of categorising spas and hospitals, which would help in marketing them overseas, Ms Choudhury said

She said that though the beauty industry has grown, there are neither benchmarks nor norms for it to follow. For instance, all salons must have an autoclave for pedicure and manicure instruments, she said. Salons should also do allergy tests before treatments and, above all, have the expertise for counselling. She called on the CII to establish an institute for the beauty and wellness industry.

Dr Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals, in his welcome address, said the Indian healthcare is comparable with the best in the world. Healthcare is a $3-trillion industry, closely followed by the wellness and beauty, 50 per cent of which goes into beauty shops.

India has tremendous potential for healthcare tourism, he said, adding that The Apollo Hospital is in talks with leading tour operators, hotels and spas to take this forward.

Tourism project clearances: Later, talking to reporters, Ms Choudhury said that, at a recent meeting of State Tourism Ministers, it was decided to expedite clearances for tourism projects.

The focus was on infrastructure and synergy with the Ministry of Civil Aviation for the development of the two major airports of Delhi and Mumbai and the 22 non-metro airports in public private partnerships.

New circuits and destinations were also identified. Uttaranchal and Punjab are among the new destinations which will be promoted. There is also a lot of interest about the Wagah Border now, especially with the tier 2 diplomacy on at present, she said.

The Government is also planning to develop a Freedom circuit, which would involve all the States; this will also generate interest in the UK, she said.

There will also be special focus on tea tourism and weddings in Bollywood, she said, adding that the focus would be on the high-value tourist.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page