A number of international health club operators are planning to expand their presence in India and benefit from the country's economic growth and swelling middle class.

US-based franchise operator Snap Fitness has announced plans for 300 new sites in the next three years while Portuguese women-only chain Viva Fitness and UK-based Holmes Place have both recently opened their first clubs in the country - with more planned for the future.

According to National Council for Applied Economic Research's (NCAER) Centre for Macro Consumer Research, the number of people classed as middle class with disposable incomes is expected to swell up to 267 million people by 2015-16 - an increase of 67 per cent from current levels (click here for more information on the report).

Speaking to Health Club Management, Snap Fitness CEO Peter Taunton said: "India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia-Pacific region, making the potential for success enormous."

Taunton added that the challenges of expanding in a developing country, however, are numerous.

"The availability of qualified trainers is sparse and each Indian state has its own culture, language and mode of operating," he said.

Pedro Ruiz, CEO of Vivafit agrees: "The biggest challenges are human resources and customer service. For example, in many local clubs, classes rarely start or end on time, with staff punctuality also bad."

To read more about the opportunities and challenges faced by operators in the Indian market, click here to read the latest issue of Health Club Management.