Bigwig hotel chains in India heading towards NE for expansion
The hospitality industry in India is apparently heading to its next big destination – the North East (NE). With the north-eastern states witnessing an increased number of tourists in recent times, a number of bigwig hotel chains have plans underway to expand their operations into the NE region.
The leading hotel chains which are eyeing the NE region for expansion include Taj, Carlson, Accor, Marriott, Hyatt and Best Western.
With regard to the lure for the hotel chains to make investments in the NE region, Cushman & Wakefield PR Srinivas – the realty firm’s director of hospitality services in India – has asserted that the future potential for hotel chains in the NE region is immense, especially since the north-eastern states presently have hardly any branded hotels.
Moreover, the increasing attraction of the NE region for tourists is apparent from the latest figures which show that, in 2012-13, there was an increase of 20-29 percent in the number of foreign tourists arriving in Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland. The surge in tourist arrivals was even bigger in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, where the number of domestic travellers increased 36-41 percent in 2012-13.
Noting that the NE region is “the least explored region of India” so far as the hospitality industry is concerned, Veer Vijay Singh – chief operating officer of luxury hotel chain Taj’s upscale brand Vivanta – said that Taj plans to bring its Vivanta brand to Guwahati by June 2015.
Source – The Economic Times
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