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  3. Healthy Returns in India Growth in India has been racing along at an annual 30 percent rate over the last decade, compared t

Healthy Returns in India Growth in India has been racing along at an annual 30 percent rate over the last decade, compared t

admin2012-11-22  57
问题                                    Healthy Returns in India
    Growth in India has been racing along at an annual 30 percent rate over the last decade, compared to a global average of 20 per cent. This is at a time when the nation’s gross domestic product growth averaged 6 to 8 per cent. As lifestyles change, seemingly by the day, sports and fitness have gradually entered into the Indian consciousness as businesses are discovering.
    There is no need for a one-size-fits-all strategy in India’s healthy sports industry, says David Huang, founder of the Hong Kong-based Asian Academy for Sports and Fitness Professionals. The diverse economic and cultural conditions across many regions ensure that all fitness enthusiasts can find their place, from traditional Indian martial arts to modem Latin dance, and from yoga(瑜珈) to extreme sports, he says.
Health clubs
    The fitness segment is a key component of the sports industry, accounting for about a third of the US $15 billion spent annually. Health clubs, which poured about two-thirds of the money into fitness, are increasing at an astonishing rate; there are about 100,000 registered around the country. Most of them target to high-income earners between 18 and 50 who are eager to pursue a healthy and fashionable lifestyle.
    New Delhi’s first private fitness club, Nirvana, was set up in 2001, It now has five outlets throughout the capital, and two of them franchised(特许的). It plans to open another in the city and one in Bombay, a coastal city in Midwest India. Nirvana president says about 22,000 club members regularly work out. Its flagship(旗舰店) gym occupies 3,000 square meters and is located near a group of high-grade office buildings. It is usually packed to full capacity with about 800 fitness enthusiasts most evenings. Kelly Fan, 25, spends two hours three times a week at Nirvana. She pays US $679 for an annual membership. That’s; equivalent to her monthly salary. It’s worth it, she says, because "health is priceless."
    The largest overseas-funded fitness chain is CSI-Bally Total Club, which was launched in May 2002 and currently operates 13 outlets across India. "We plan to open 10 to 15 new clubs nationwide this year," says board chairman of the gym. Sources close to the chain say membership growth is estimated at 100 to 200 percent annually.
Research on Fitness Spending
    A survey by well-known market research and consulting firm Horizon indicates that spots spending in six major cities stood at US $64 per capita in 2003, with New Delhi ranked first at US $110.
    The primary reason to go on a fitness regimen(养生法)is to stay healthy, said 71 percent of respondents in the survey, which covered 1,639 people aged between 18 and 60 in New Delhi, Dacca; Calcutta and Bombay. Not all health clubs are restricted to downtown areas, rich suburbs or relatively well-heeled consumers. There are many community sports clubs catering to urban neighborhoods and charging US $123 to US $185.
    Rossi, 28, who worked as instructor for about seven years at foreign-funded fitness chain Bodywork-impulse, started her own fitness centre in July, in cooperation with a residential community neighboring Bombay University. "With my professional experience at Bodywork-impulse and the affordable prices for middle-income earners, running the fitness centre is not difficult," Rossi tells India Business Weekly confidently, adding that expansion to other communities is under consideration.
    Research by India Sports Industry International, one of the country’s pioneer sports operation and marketing consulting companies, found that annual sports spending by Indian consumers is less than US $12 per capita, in comparison with US $300-500 in the United States and advanced European nations.
Lack of Qualified Instructors
    The contrast and the great potential explain why people with experience and expertise are keen to cash in on the market, says Jyoti Randhawa, director of the marketing office belonged to the New Delhi Bureau of Sport. Quite a few international brands, including US-based Bally Total, Bodywork-impulse, Power House, and Hong Kang’s Haosba, have an established presence. Whether foreign or domestic, one challenge health clubs face is a Shortage of qualified instructors and experienced managers. Araby, who graduated from New Delhi Sport University, says that when she was a student, she and her classmates often worked as port-time trainers in the capital’s fitness centers. "Even now, some of them who have unrelated jobs still do part-time work or act as private consultants, either because of money or personal  interest," she says.
    The money isn’t bad. Instructors are typically graduates or veteran and former professional athletes make between US $370 and US $741. This is much higher than the average income of less than US $123 per capita in major cities.
    They simply can’t make up the numbers, however. Health club operators claim that the" right people" qualified instructors with service-awareness, consultants or managerial talent—are hard to find.
Government Support and Promotion
    In 2002, the India Body Building Association issued the Body Building Professionals Grading Regulations to classify fitness coaches into four categories in line with their professional education background and experience.
    "However, even in New Delhi, there are only about 1,000 certified professionals. compared with about 20,000 trainers excluding part-timers in various fitness centers," says Hart, attributing the shortage to poor promotion and inadequate  government support.
    This year, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the General Administration of Sport are jointly promoting the Specific Sports Professional Qualification Certification Program. The national standard system will be a forced employment requirement for fitness coaches. The measure will also help India’s fitness industry keep up with the international market and should attract foreign client or facilitate overseas expansion.
    These professional certifications have been around in developed nations for decades. Certificates of the US National Academy of Sports Medicine and Finland-based Federation of International Sports Aerobics and Fitness are the most internationally recognized.
Challenge
    However, the industry also faces another challenge.
    Weights and dull tasks are apparently, not enough to keep people interested. Health clubs intended for high-in-come consumers are increasingly incorporating yoga, Latin draining and so on to keep the cash register ringing.
    Customers at such health clubs are not just looking to keep fit. They also want entertainment and comfort, insiders say. Instructors need to be professionally qualified, have sound communication skills, and be able to provide tailored services.
    Nirvana points out that personnel with professional knowledge and managing skills is even tougher than finding qualified instructors. CSI-Bally Total Fitness Club. Co. Ltd., a joint venture between US-based Bally Total Fitness and India Sports Industry Co. Ltd., a Bombay-listed State-owned sports conglomerate(联合企业), faces similar headaches, acknowledges Jun Cato, director of business.development.
    To fill the vacancy, sports universities in cities such as New Delhi, Calcutta, and Bombay have opened the sports management department in recent years. Officials say their graduates are highly sought.
选项 A、Y
B、N
C、NG
答案A
解析 略读文章标题和首段可知，文章主要介绍印度全民健身这一社会现象，里面包含了很多相关数据和人物采访，表现了健身行业的不断升温，同时也提及新兴行业所需要完善的地方。故本题正确。
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