Travel News September 2007

Niche Tourism

Himachal to promote ‘socially responsible’ tourism

Hospitals prepare to get NRI, foreign clientele
Medical tourism cuts into city
Tamil Nadu plans tourist desks at hospitals
Medical tourism’s no longer pep pill
Keeping the faith
ITC Hotels to launch spa brand 'Kayakalp'
Goa Tourism keen to promote traditional cuisine
Slum tourism is a way for travelers to taste the exotica of squalor
Travel, but in a responsible way
India next big market for leisure real estate
Four places identified as shopping tourism destinations: Ambika SoniAdventure Tourism

Himachal to promote ‘socially responsible’ tourism
August 31, 2007

A ski resort being developed in the western Himalayas will not only promote adventure sports and give India a chance to bid for the Winter Olympics but also pioneer the concept of socially responsible tourism, its developers say.

"We are committed to social and environmental sustainability and plan to become an international flagship for responsible tourism," John Sims, managing director of the Himalayan Ski Village (HSV), which is coming up at Manali in Himachal Pradesh, said of the 350-million euro project.

Being funded by Henry Ford's great grandson Alfred Ford, HSV aims to create world-class infrastructure to position Manali amongst the world's best tourism destinations.

And to ensure it practises what it preaches, HSV has enlisted the services of a variety of experts in the field of environmentally sustainable tourism, resort development, construction and snow management, Sims pointed out.

Among the experts is Sanjeev Pande, a former director of the Great Himalayan National Park in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh that is home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna.

"So, inside the chicken coop, we have a fox," Sims said of the watchdog role Pande would perform.

Prominent environmental agencies like The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) have completed their EIA (Environment  Impact Assessment) of the project and are in the process of developing environment management policies that will be incorporated during the construction and operational phases of the resort.

"The policies will cover all aspects of environmental impact on flora, fauna and local communities from all possible sources including solid and liquid waste, and air and noise pollution," Sims stated.

"The latest energy conservation technologies like solar energy and green disposal technologies for sewage will also be employed," he added. The HSV project includes the development of luxury hotels, chalets, suites, conference facilities, an entertainment centre, restaurants and retail options. Access to the mountain area for skiing, trekking and other adventure activities will be provided by a network of gondolas and chairlifts.

The project aims to employ more than 3,500 people when fully developed and HSV will hire more than 70 percent of them from the villages around Manali.

"Once we are fully up and running, we will have all the facilities in place for staging the Winter Olympics and it will be then for the authorities to bid for this," Sims maintained.

The Himachal Pradesh government cleared HSV's Detailed Project Report in June. Its EIA is now awaiting approval from the ministry of environment and forests and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) before commencing construction later this year.

HSV has also set up a training institute for winter sports operations. The first phase saw 75 skiers from local villages being trained for the roles of ski instructors, snow safety and search and rescue operations when the resort begins its operations. This group was then whittled down to 40 for advanced training in Finland.

According to Sims, in addition to direct employment, the HSV project will bring indirect employment and business opportunities to the local community through sourcing of local produce like fruits, flowers, milk, and vegetables for daily consumption in the resort and services like adventure and tour operation.

"These will be linked via specific HSV-sponsored rural development initiatives like cheese making, beehive products and green-house farming," Sims added.

The HSV project includes the development of luxury hotels, chalets, suites, conference facilities, an entertainment centre, restaurants and retail options. Access to the mountain area for skiing, trekking and other adventure activities will be provided by a network of gondolas and chairlifts.

The project aims to employ more than 3,500 people when fully developed and HSV will hire more than 70 percent of them from the villages around Manali.

"Once we are fully up and running, we will have all the facilities in place for staging the Winter Olympics and it will be then for the authorities to bid for this," Sims maintained.

The Himachal Pradesh government cleared HSV's Detailed Project Report in June. Its EIA is now awaiting approval from the ministry of environment and forests and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) before commencing construction later this year.

HSV has also set up a training institute for winter sports operations. The first phase saw 75 skiers from local villages being trained for the roles of ski instructors, snow safety and search and rescue operations when the resort begins its operations. This group was then whittled down to 40 for advanced training in Finland.

According to Sims, in addition to direct employment, the HSV project will bring indirect employment and business opportunities to the local community through sourcing of local produce like fruits, flowers, milk, and vegetables for daily consumption in the resort and services like adventure and tour operation.

"These will be linked via specific HSV-sponsored rural development initiatives like cheese making, beehive products and green-house farming," Sims added.

Source: IANS via MSN India

Medical Tourism

Hospitals prepare to get NRI, foreign clientele
August 26, 2007

With 200 Gujarat hospitals registering themselves with US-based Om Healthcare Providers Network Inc (OHPN) to help get NRI and foreign clientele, State hospitals can soon boast of international standards and facilities. Come September and OHPN will re-launch itself with upgraded facilities on its web portal and is already eyeing medical fraternity from important metros. Meanwhile, authorities have confirmed that more than 12,00 persons from the State medical fraternity will be screened next year in March.

"OHPN will act as a navigator between NRIs, foreign clientele with Indian medical fraternity on 3 important issues _ Patients' privacy, safety and hospital standards in cognizance with International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organisation (JCAHO) respectively," said Dr Jignesh Patel, vice-president, OHPN.

There are very few hospitals in India, which have been able to reach international standards and there is only one hospital with an international accreditation in State, said Dr Patel. "OHPN will set up a body which will facilitate guidance to small hospitals," he adds. There are private practitioners and hospitals in Gujarat which are willing to standardising themselves with international norms, he added.

Dr Patel said that after their re-launch they'll focus on metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Banglore, Chennai, Hydrabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. "Eventually we will put up the profile of Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines so that patients can select medical experts," he adds. "We also have travel agency and medical tourism vendors' list in our portal. In short, OHPN will be a search engine for medical tourism," he claimed.

Detailing on the change in their web portal, he said, "In our pilot project, only medical fraternity could register themselves but now patients can register. It will be a two-way communication.

Source: Indian Express

Medical tourism cuts into city
August 23, 2007

An increasing number of foreigners are coming to Bombay to take advantage of quality medical care coupled with low prices. When it comes to medical tourism, doctors in Bombay are grateful about the excellent facilities this city has to offer in terms of medical equipment.

“Besides having excellent cosmetic surgeons, being an English speaking town with warm people, wonderful care by nurses and a reasonable rate for surgery, Bombay offers world class facilities in terms of Medicare with good safety practice and high-quality infection control at certified hospitals,” says Dr. Mohan Thomas, a city surgeon.

Dr. Thomas who hails from the United States, is currently based in Bombay. He is the medical director of the Cosmetic Surgery Institute located at Bandra, and is the founder and President of the Asian Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and the Academy of Anti Ageing Medicine of Bombay and New York. Bombay occupies pride of place along with Kerala, Madras or Goa when it comes to Medical Tourism. “Bombay is only lagging because of the poor infrastructure as tourists find it hard to travel from Point A to Point B in this city,” said Dr. Thomas.

Even Dr. Arun Mullaji, an Orthopaedic Surgeon who works at Lilawati and Breech Candy Hospital said, “Bombay has the best hospitals that offer treatment with high quality by using the latest equipment. The sophisticated technology assists in giving faster results with better recovery, more accuracy and less pain.” According to Dr. Mullaji, medical tourists will benefit the most by coming to Bombay because of the ‘low cost of medical care without any compromise to quality.’

Dr. Mullaji added, “If Bombay would optimize in terms of roads and infrastructure and follow the likes of Bangkok, Singapore, Shanghai or Kuala Lumpur this city would do wonders when it comes to medical tourism.”

Bombay has better trained surgeons because the doctors here not only handle more difficult cases but the patient-surgeon ratio is high giving them more expertise. This results in Indian surgeons having a ‘cutting edge’ and are more ‘dextrous’ confides Dr. Mullaji. “The medical tourists who come to Bombay arrive on a seasonal basis. They arrive in high numbers during the winter because the climate is good in Bombay,” said Dr. Mullaji.

These medical tourists come from the United Kingdome, United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, Africa and even the Middle East. They tend to be middle to old people who are interested in knee replacement surgery when they visit Dr. Mullaji.

Source: Cybernoon.com

Tamil Nadu plans tourist desks at hospitals
August 22, 2007

With many hospitals in the state offering world-class medical facilities, the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation will soon launch a website on medical tourism to guide people seeking treatment.

"People across the country and even from Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain come to Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai and Coimbatore, for treatment. TTDC will host a website to guide them about hospitals and places of tourist importance in the state," said TTDC managing director M Rajaram.

He pointed out that affordability is the prime factor for foreigners seeking medical treatment in Tamil Nadu. "We discussed the issue with the health secretary and officials from the Indian Medical Association and the formalities are being worked out," Rajaram said.

The TTDC will also assist foreign tourists with visa clearances. The corporation will also soon establish tourist desks at private hospitals to guide patients and people accompanying them. "These desks will be managed by the hospitals with guidance from the TTDC," Rajaram said. Most people who come to Tamil Nadu for treatment prefer to go in spiritual tourism too. "We will make special arrangements for patients and their family members to visit temples and other tourist spots at affordable rates," he said.

The TTDC also plans to launch a "Freedom Tourist Circuit" that will offer trips to birthplaces of freedom fighters and places of national importance, he said. "We are contemplating launching a Rural Tourist Circuit with special focus on more than 100 model villages in the state," he said. The Jain Circuit, which offers trips to Jain monuments in Tamil Nadu, including those in Thiruparthikundram, Vallimalai, Tirumalai, Tirunathar Kundru, Melchittamur, Sittannavasal and Uthamapalayam, attracts more tourists from north Indian states, especially Rajasthan, he said.
With the state having five World Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO, including the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram, Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur and Nilgiris mountain railway, the World Heritage Circuit is also becoming popular among tourists, he said.

To attract more tourists to Tamil Nadu, the TTDC will organise travel marts and participate in fairs across the country and even abroad. Earlier, the corporation had announced that it would launch a 14-day South India Tour by rail and road on September 23 from Delhi to facilitate visits by people in northern states.

Source: Rediffnews

Medical tourism’s no longer pep pill
August16, 2007

Medical tourism in India may not be as booming as the industry makes it out to be. And even as hospitals try to woo patients from the developed countries, many still prefer to go for yoga and ayurveda, which is more a part of leisure and not medical tourism.

The term medical tourism is giving way to just medicare now. Though no official figures are available, estimated arrivals in the last one year range from anywhere between 2 and 4 lakh and is touted to be a $2-billion industry by 2012. But the most coveted international patients — those from the US and European countries — still remain largely elusive. Currently, most of the traffic comes from the neighbouring countries, African countries and the Middle East.

“The traffic from North America and UK has actually receded in the last year. In fact, medical tourism itself grew only by about 10-12% last year against the expected growth of 30% and above,” says B Arun Kumar, CEO of Mediescapes, a Delhi based organisation that offers medical tourism packages.

“There are some issues. For example, in the US, insurance companies are not backing the claims of people who avail of treatment in developing nations. And in the UK, opinion is divided over the benefits of travelling abroad for treatment,” Mr Kumar adds.

The central government has made medical tourism a part of the Incredible India campaign but it is being driven more by hospitals than by the travel industry. “Though we have good hospitals offering treatments at reasonable prices the perception of India is hindering the flow from developed countries.

However, the brand power of hospitals in India and the infrastructure they have built-up have seen their international patient flow grow, at least from the Asian region. Apollo Hospitals expect up to 30% of the turnover this year to come from international patients. “Last year we treated close to 50,000 international patients across cities. Of this, up to 25% came from the developed world, whereas till last year this figure was only 3-4%.

The main reason for this increase is the JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation that our hospitals have secured,” says Apollo Hospitals president (corporate development) Anil Maini.

Wockhardt Hospitals have also seen a similar rise with a 38% increase in international patients last year, with almost 50% growth in the patients from US and Europe. “This could be a phenomenon unique to Wockhardt. Up to 75% of our international patients are from these regions and it has mostly been that way,” says Wockhardt Hospitals CEO Vishal Bali.

Hospitals are also launching sales and marketing arms overseas to attract the medicare traffic. For cheaper treatment options, India competes with markets like Thailand, Malaysia, Turkey, Jordan, Morocco, Costa Rica and Mexico, says Mr Maini.

Source: Economic Times

Religious Tourism

Keeping the faith
August 2007

It has often been said that it is God who runs our country. And reposing faith in this belief are people who undertake pilgrimages. A city as ancient as Varanasi (Kashi) has attracted many over the ages. Catering to this movement of people were small guesthouses and dharamshalas. But quality and quantity accommodation never kept pace with the increase in traffic.

It is only in recent times with the domestic travel boom that the budget segment has found this market lucrative enough. And since faith has no class barriers, the biggest pilgrimage destinations have accommodation ranging from five-stars to unbranded guesthouses. Consider Varanasi. The five-star Taj Ganges and a Radisson Hotel for the privileged devotee stand along with the Trimurti Guest House and the Shiva Ganga Lodge for the masses. But still, it is the nondescript hotel which keeps the wheels of faith rolling.

The problem is that of perception, not of plenty. India attracted nearly 2.4 million foreign tourists till June 2007 this year, who generated nearly US$ 3,590 million. It is on this creamy layer where the focus of Indian hoteliers rests, rather than the sea of domestic tourists that dwarfs the former in numbers. Says Homi Aibara, partner of Mahajan & Aibara, "In India, there is a confusion about the word 'tourist.' Our statistics unfortunately include even business visitors to India. And importance is given to destinations that foreign tourists visit, while domestic tourism takes a backseat. Of the total number of inbound travellers visiting the country, less then 25 per cent are on leisure and the rest are on business."

Domestic tourism, especially religious and pilgrimage tourism, has huge potential but is not taken into account. He informs, "Even though these travellers are low spending, their numbers are huge. Pilgrimage tourism is estimated to be well in excess of 100 million and Tirupati alone attracts more than 18 million visitors a year."

Take the aforementioned Tirupati as a case in point. While it has six FHRAI-affiliated hotels, all in the two or three-star category, various searches through OTAs throw up 10 odd hotels across the aforementioned categories. Finally waking up to this potential, hoteliers have seen value in expanding their portfolio to cater to this segment with completely different products to suit the needs of the pilgrim without diluting their parent brand. Uday Narain, COO of Ginger Hotels, says, "The customer today is looking for good stay options in these destinations. Hence, the ashrams and trusts are giving way to hotels that offer comfortable stay. These destinations are more open to the masses and hence the larger base of the market will look for the affordable category of hotels."

Pilgrims require quality accommodation at a price that fits their pockets, and which is not austere or lacklustre. A new breed of visitors, including affluent NRIs connecting to their roots and foreigners seeking mysticism form another part of this category.

It is not only the rising income that is fuelling this trend, but also the low-cost carrier revolution. Captain Gopinath, founder of Air Deccan, which is focusing on this segment as part of its growth strategy, says, "More than 60 per cent of the domestic tourists in India are religious travellers. Trends indicate that in the years to come religious tourism will expand further in the country with more people seeking spiritual and holy visits."

The airline had begun to ply on the Tirupati-Hyderabad sector with one flight a day. Subsequently, it added one more flight on this route since the first flight was perpetually full. Yet, seats were always short in supply. Today, the airline connects cities such as Ahmedabad, Dharamshala, Jammu, Madurai, Trichy, Tirupati, to mention a few. Apart from the airline, the heli-charter company, Deccan Aviation, flies daily to Vaishnodevi from Katra.

And hotels are taking cognisance. White Orchid, a Kamat Hotel, India's third Ecotel set-up in Katra has a helipad to cater to the devotees travelling onwards to Vaishnodevi. Recently, Deccan Aviation was awarded a three-year contract for providing helicopter services for Amarnath Yatra. This has brought spiritual nirvana closer to the religious Indian and the NRI who are short-pressed for time but flush with funds.

Source: www.expresshospitality.com

Luxury and Rejuvenation

ITC Hotels to launch spa brand 'Kayakalp'
August 2007

ITC WelcomGroup has plans to launch its own spa concept called Kayakalp, meaning immortal body in Sanskrit. Its first facility is tipped to be the largest in the country. Speaking to Express Hospitality, Anil Chaddha, general manager of ITC Mughal Agra (a Luxury Collection hotel, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts) revealed, "The spa will be spread across 50,000 sq ft with various health and rejuvenation treatments. It is a big project on part of the group and ITC Mughal is proud to have the first one."

The concept has been developed by ITC WelcomGroup and which include a mix of Indian and international treatments. According to Chaddha, Kayakalp will have eight treatment rooms and a hamam - another first in Indian hospitality. It will also have facilities like a temperature-controlled pool, observatory (with variety of plants) and relaxation chambers.

Tightlipped about the project, a senior official of the group informed, "Kayakalp is a big project and will be taken up in a phased manner." The spa at ITC Mughal is expected to be launched formally in November this year. Officials from the hotel group declined to comment on the investment outlined for the entire project and future possibilities of the spa in other ITC Luxury Collections hotels.

Source: www.expresshospitality.com

Others

Goa Tourism keen to promote traditional cuisine
September 15, 2007

Goa Tourism is keen on offering tourists more than its famed sun-kissed beaches and is looking at promoting traditional Goan cuisine. It recently hosted a four-day international cuisine conference called 'United We Eat' organised by Indology Goa, showcasing Goan cuisine among other international cuisines. Also, a year-long campaign has been planned to promote authentic Goan cuisine in India and abroad.

"Goa offers a unique food culture, which needs to be taken around the globe so that maximum number of people can experience the joy of Goan cuisine," said Mickky Pacheco, Tourism Minister, Goa. The tourism industry in Goa contributes Rs 1,500 crore annually to the State's revenue.

For long, experts have been mulling over Goan food losing its authenticity to western culinary practices. "Over the years, Goa has evolved from a quiet little state with beautiful virgin beaches to a bustling tourist epicentre. This has enticed a lot of business, consisting primarily of restaurants, which started serving fusion cuisine. And, eventually, Goan cuisine began to lose its originality," rued Dr Anjali Rao, Chairperson, Indology Goa.

The organisers maintained that the aim of the conference was to examine the evolution, benefits and state of research vis-à-vis Goa's traditional food, as well as the potential and problems associated with its survival. "The focus of the conference was on healthy traditional cuisines and their relevance and integration with today's modern fast-paced lives," said Rao.

Source: Travel Biz Monitor

Slum tourism is a way for travelers to taste the exotica of squalor
September 10, 2007

There was a time not long ago when India was synonymous in the popular imagination of the west as a place of numbing poverty, streams of beggars and teeming slums. Now that the image is shifting to silicon-fueled growth, Bollywood glamour and call-center empires, tourists – and the 300 million-odd members of India’s burgeoning middle class -- may worry that the India of their nightmares (or their youth) is gone.

Do not fear. In addition to the Taj Mahal, magnificent palaces and echoes of the raj, India-bound vacationers can plump for a radically different travel itinerary – slum tours. A big draw for foreigners keen to experience the “real India,” slum tourism is the latest buzzword in Indian travel.

Take your pick, it’s all real and it’s all on offer. A new company offers a close-up view of life at Mumbai's Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, with uncensored – if brief   glimpses into the dark underbelly of urban India. In New Delhi, enterprising street children have formed their own informal tour guide operation, picking up visitors from the train station for a walk about through their world.

In both places, children still trawl through garbage mounds and open sewers. Mounds of rotting refuse and musty alleys lined with shanties crammed against each other remind the visitor of bad times. Emaciated rag pickers comb through discards at railway stations   India's clichéd impoverished exotica is on full view for public consumption, either just another commodity along the tourist trail or a consciousness-raising experience.

Bus tours of the shanty towns of Soweto in South Africa or guided walks through the favelas of urban Brazil have attracted curious tourists for years. In Kenya, the mean streets of Kibera, Nairobi’s biggest slum, have become a must-see for tourists, even drawing international celebrities.

Following a similar template, tours to Delhi's railway underworld and Dharavi have been running for about a year and are immensely popular with Western and Indian visitors.

“We think that Dharavi, the biggest slum in Asia, is one of the most interesting places to see in Mumbai,” says the website of Mumbai-based Reality Tours and Travels. “The beauty of Dharavi lies not on the main roads but in the small alleys where thousands work and live in a number of small enterprises, where goats roam freely and where children play with carefree abandon.”

Reality Tours and Travels, which began operations in 2006, offers assorted slum tours of Dharavi. Reality Tours' short trips – just three hours with a guide and then back to the hotel for a good shower, presumably cost Rs 400 (US $10) per head. The longer experience lasts five hours and costs Rs 2,400 for four people. The longer tour includes an air conditioned car but still tourists have to get out of the vehicle and amble through the labyrinthine alleyways accompanied by their guide if they want to really see the place. The walk is not strenuous, the company says. "Our slum tours have been a great success," states Krishna Poojari of Reality Tours, who along with his young British friend Chris Way, launched the company last year. Peddling Dharavi, Mumbai’s pride and shame is certainly an ingenious business.

"Our tours are not aimed at showcasing Dharavi's poverty but its spectacular growth, industry and production," Poojari insists. With almost 80 per cent of the slum tour profits going to a local charity, MESCO (Modern Education and Social Cultural Organization), the Dharavi residents also don't object.

But isn’t showing the slums degrading for its inhabitants? The primary purpose, says Poojari, is to dispel the view that Dharavi is only a place of squalor. Dharavi, he says, is a productive epicenter for many industries. This makes the area truly unique because even in Brazil or South Africa where slum tours are well-established there isn't this kind of productivity. "That's what we highlight to the visitors," he says.

Source: Asia Sentinel

Travel, but in a responsible way
September 2, 2007

Tour operators all over the world are offering packages that do good for destinations.

Global warming, environmental degradation because of mass or badly managed tourism, and displacement of local communities might not be the first things you think about when you plan your holiday, but soon they will be hot topics you cannot sidestep (global warming already is). But you can help, in your own small way.

Now there are tour operators who can plan a responsible tour for you. There are hundreds of tour operators across the globe today who are working towards offering trips which, in the true sense, are responsible and often eco-friendly as well.

Check out Responsibletravel.com. Their trips leave the lightest footprint possible, out of over 160 specialist tour operators who meet the website’s required environmental, social and economic criteria. You could book a seven-day Masai Mara safari in Kenya for $1,395 (excluding flights) which will take you not just to the wildlife park but also to discover the contrasting scenery, wildlife environment and cultures of the Masai savanna, Kikuyu Lake area and Great Rift Valley. “As well as superb wildlife viewing opportunities we include insights into the way of life and cultures of local communities. This way you get a much more rewarding and richer safari experience and the local people get a more direct share of the benefits that foreign visitors can bring,” says the website.

Within India, too, there seems to be a growing consciousness among many tour operators about responsible tours. For the ultimate in understated luxury, in a very responsible way, check out some of CGH Earth’s properties in south India.

At their Spice Village in Thekkady, Kerala, the accommodation is luxurious but, to accentuate the heady spice scents, there is no air-conditioning. This is how the villagers live. Here, the guests can pluck cardamom and other spices along with villagers who stay close by.

Ibex Expeditions organises some trips based on a humanitarian impulse. “We are organising a trip to Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu where visitors will help in a medical checkup of women weavers who weave the sarees that are famous from this region. We have identified that eye trouble is one of their major concerns, so visitors plan to donate eye glasses to these women,” explains Mandip Singh Soin, managing director, Ibex Expeditions.

The most interesting, by far, is the tour he organises in Nagaland, where the community at large benefits. “There were pheasant hunters in Khonoma village near Kohima. We employed them as guides. The tour sometimes also includes home stays and then a guided walking tour to view exotic birds. The hunters now have an incentive to protect those pheasants,” he says. The Indian government’s rural tourism project across 36 villages too is a good example of responsible travel, where the idea is to help the village communities. Villages have been selected on the basis of their involvement in either a specific art or craft, or for their cultural and natural environment.

Tourism can be both good and bad for the environment and local people. Responsible travel increases the good and reduces the bad. Incentive to take that responsible holiday.

Source: Business Standard

India next big market for leisure real estate
August 24, 2007

With its booming economy and burgeoning middles class, India is the next big market for the leisure real estate market, according to Kenneth May, chairman and chief executive of global leisure real estate leader Group RCI.

"India is poised for growth in leisure real estate and is at the helm of explosive economic growth," May said, inaugurating a 'Leisure Real Estate Symposium, in New Delhi on Friday. "The market for leisure real estate (in India) today is expected to gain further momentum over the next few years," he added.

Over 100 representatives from India's hospitality, real estate and travel industry attended the daylong event, which deliberated on trends in leisure real estate or non-hotel holiday accommodation facilities and opportunities for Indian industry.

Referring to the growing middle class in India, May said, "With growing disposable incomes and aspirations and the enormous tourism potential in India, the time could not be better for the industry to launch new leisure real estate models that will meet the needs of the evolving consumer."

Speaking on the occasion, Amitabh Kant, principal secretary (industries & commerce) in the Kerala government, said, "With the growing purchasing power of the Indian, holidays are involving experiential and aspirational experiences for the traveller."

Kant, a former joint secretary in the tourism ministry, said that the 'Incredible India' campaign of the government opened up newer destinations and new experiences like rural tourism and medical tourism for both the domestic and international traveller.

"Indian tourism is expected to grow at the rate of 20-25 per cent per annum till 2017, posing a huge opportunity for wealth creation in the country," he said.

A Group RCI press release, quoting a World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) report, stated that India is expected to be the third fastest growing country in the world in travel and tourism demand over the next 10 years. That growth, coupled with the 19.8 per cent increase in the number of Indians living in India with financial assets of over $1 trillion, are important factors to promote the growth of leisure real estate in India, it stated.

In Friday's symposium, several panel discussions were held on issues like relevance of shared ownership leisure products in India and Asia, asset optimisation in real estate investment and implementing successful marketing and sales strategies. Among the leading Indian companies which attended the event were Cushman & Wakefield India, Indian Hospitality company, Reliance Industries, Parsvnath Developers, Starwood Hotels and Ambuja Realty.

Source: Hindustan Times

Four places identified as shopping tourism destinations: Ambika Soni
August 20, 2007

The Centre has identified four destinations to launch India as a shopping tourism destination. Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni said Shilparamam near Hyderabad, Noida in Uttar Pradesh, Aurangabad in Maharashtra and Bhubaneswar in Orissa have been identified for kicking off the project. More destinations may be added to the project which may be a public-private partnership venture.

Addressing a press conference after inaugurating the 57th TTF, a travel and tourism exposition, she said she hoped to pick a place in West Bengal also. Asked whether there would be duty-free shopping malls as part of the venture, the Minister said these places would showcase handicrafts and the rural way of life.

The experience would be different from those in Singapore or Dubai. She said the Centre was ready to share 25 per cent of the investment with either the State Government or any private party willing to invest in improving the infrastructure at these four destinations. Coinciding with the Commonwealth Games, a target of 10 million tourists has been set for 2010, she said.

Source: The Hindu