Retiring in India
If you are looking for a country with cheaper options, where English is spoken almost everywhere, and domestic help is both available and affordable, India might be your best bet! Luxury homes and excellent health care facilities are available at low cost, and a fantastic USD exchange rate ensures that your finances are in good shape. India also offers the opportunity to experience an ancient, fascinating culture.
Low Cost of Living in India
The low cost of living in India has proved to be a significant factor in enticing foreigners to retire here. For NRIs, the temptation to come back home ultimately may prove hard to resist, especially now that India offers several of the comforts of the developed world. Places where the climate is moderate may especially appeal to foreigners. Care for the elderly is also good and affordable, and several world class homes are sprouting up all over the country. Old age is considered by many as the ideal time for activities connected with spirituality, and there can be few better options than India for this.
For those who wish to give of themselves generously, India offers several causes and options where one may volunteer or contribute.
Issues with Retiring in India
However, the flip side cannot be ignored, and one must be prepared to take the quirks with the perks. There are pockets which are still largely conservative, and where the locals look upon outsiders with suspicion. Religion plays a vital role and religious intolerance is still rampant in parts of the country. It is best to keep a low profile as far as one’s religious opinions are concerned and try and merge in with the populace as far as possible, familiarizing oneself with its culture, preferences and prejudices. Foreigners will also have to get used to being stared at. Many Indians are not aware that their candid curiosity may prove offensive to some.
It is also wise to expect to live without many of the comforts one is used to abroad. While the major Indian cities have turned cosmopolitan, offering facilities comparable to those overseas, the smaller cities are still finding their feet, and tend to have simpler lifestyles. One will have to deal with the specter of corruption at various levels, combined with the apathy rampant in the bureaucracy, learn to live with these malaises and to work around them in order to enjoy a pleasant retirement.
India as a Top 10 Emerging Tourism Destination
India was ranked as one of the Top 10 Emerging Tourism Destinations by the World Travel and Tourism Council last year, with a spectacular growth in tourist arrivals in recent years. India’s booming economy, the richness and diversity it has to offer, and an aggressive marketing campaign have all contributed to India’s increasing attractiveness. The foreign tourist arrivals to India were a record figure of 5.37 million in 2008 – a figure that is nearly double that of year 2000. The arrivals include a large number of business travelers, wealthy retirees, medical tourists and people of Indian origin eager to rediscover their roots.
India’s Booming Medical Tourism Industry
Another significant factor has been the burgeoning medical tourism industry. The India Tourist Board reports that India receives 200,000 of the approximately 500,000 medical tourists to Asia annually Medical tourism to India has been growing at a whopping 30 percent annually in the past three years, and tourists from the U.S. account for 10 to 15 percent of the total. A combination of low costs, a high level of expertise and good medical facilities drives this spurt in medical tourism, along with the lure of alternative therapies like Ayurveda.
If you are looking for a country with cheaper options, where English is spoken almost everywhere, and domestic help is both available and affordable, India might be your best bet! Luxury homes and excellent health care facilities are available at low cost, and a fantastic USD exchange rate ensures that your finances are in good shape. India also offers the opportunity to experience an ancient, fascinating culture.
Low Cost of Living in India
The low cost of living in India has proved to be a significant factor in enticing foreigners to retire here. For NRIs, the temptation to come back home ultimately may prove hard to resist, especially now that India offers several of the comforts of the developed world. Places where the climate is moderate may especially appeal to foreigners. Care for the elderly is also good and affordable, and several world class homes are sprouting up all over the country. Old age is considered by many as the ideal time for activities connected with spirituality, and there can be few better options than India for this.
For those who wish to give of themselves generously, India offers several causes and options where one may volunteer or contribute.
Issues with Retiring in India
However, the flip side cannot be ignored, and one must be prepared to take the quirks with the perks. There are pockets which are still largely conservative, and where the locals look upon outsiders with suspicion. Religion plays a vital role and religious intolerance is still rampant in parts of the country. It is best to keep a low profile as far as one’s religious opinions are concerned and try and merge in with the populace as far as possible, familiarizing oneself with its culture, preferences and prejudices. Foreigners will also have to get used to being stared at. Many Indians are not aware that their candid curiosity may prove offensive to some.
It is also wise to expect to live without many of the comforts one is used to abroad. While the major Indian cities have turned cosmopolitan, offering facilities comparable to those overseas, the smaller cities are still finding their feet, and tend to have simpler lifestyles. One will have to deal with the specter of corruption at various levels, combined with the apathy rampant in the bureaucracy, learn to live with these malaises and to work around them in order to enjoy a pleasant retirement.
India as a Top 10 Emerging Tourism Destination
India was ranked as one of the Top 10 Emerging Tourism Destinations by the World Travel and Tourism Council last year, with a spectacular growth in tourist arrivals in recent years. India’s booming economy, the richness and diversity it has to offer, and an aggressive marketing campaign have all contributed to India’s increasing attractiveness. The foreign tourist arrivals to India were a record figure of 5.37 million in 2008 – a figure that is nearly double that of year 2000. The arrivals include a large number of business travelers, wealthy retirees, medical tourists and people of Indian origin eager to rediscover their roots.
India’s Booming Medical Tourism Industry
Another significant factor has been the burgeoning medical tourism industry. The India Tourist Board reports that India receives 200,000 of the approximately 500,000 medical tourists to Asia annually Medical tourism to India has been growing at a whopping 30 percent annually in the past three years, and tourists from the U.S. account for 10 to 15 percent of the total. A combination of low costs, a high level of expertise and good medical facilities drives this spurt in medical tourism, along with the lure of alternative therapies like Ayurveda.