Tag Archives: Tamil Nadu

The India pavilion at World Travel Market 2018 in London was packed with activities for the trade and consumers alike. Addressing a press conference, Rashmi Verma, Secretary-Tourism, Government of India, enlisted the achievements of the Ministry. Accompanying Verma were Pramod Kumar Singh, Tourism Minister, Bihar; Vellamandi N Natarajan, Tourism Minister, Tamil Nadu; Aashima Mehrotra, Director, Ministry of Tourism and Charanjeet Singh, Deputy High Commissioner of India to the UK. Verma highlighted, “Last year has been a very good year for India tourism with a growth of about 14 per cent in foreign tourist arrivals and about 19 per cent in terms of foreign receipts, much more than the global growth of 6.8 per cent. We also crossed the 10 million mark for the first time. This was possible because of our adoption of the multi-pronged strategy. We focus hugely on creating world-class infrastructure in and around our tourist sites.” She pointed out, “Incredible India 2.0 campaign is more thematic in nature. Looking at the needs and demands of major markets like the US and the UK, we have made some thematic films on niche products like adventure, yoga, Ayurveda, etc. This campaign focuses heavily on social media besides print and electronic media. We are hopeful that through this new Incredible India campaign we will be able to encourage people to revisit india, stay longer and experience the various products we have on offer.” The MOT also recently concluded two new events — India Tourism Mart (ITM) and Paryatan Parv —to create awareness about India both internationally and domestically. “More than 250 foreign buyers participated at the first-ever ITM. Buddhist Conclave was also held to showcase various Buddhist destinations in India.” The key initiative of introduction …

With its theme “Together for a Better Tomorrow”, SIHRA Convention is taking place from October 4-5, with participation from nearly 600 delegates. The convention looks at connecting all the south Indian states and brings about varied opportunities in exploring the hospitality and tourism fraternity. The event is expected to be a perfect mix of technology, emerging trends in the beverage and food industry, innovations in hotel projects and women leadership in the hospitality industry, among others. It is being supported by the departments of tourism, governments of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry.  The event will be inaugurated by Vellamandi N Natarajan, Minister for Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu, in the presence of SP Velumani, Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development; KA Sengottaiyan, Minister for School Education; Shri Sellur K Raju, Minister for Co-operation; RB Udhaya Kumar, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management and Dindigul C Sreenivasan, Minister for Forests Department. Edappadi K Palaniswami, Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu, said,  The state continues to hold the leading position in tourist arrivals, both domestic and international for the fourth year in a row. I am sure that SIHRA, which has over 1100 hotel and restaurant members playing a major role in providing comprehensive logistic support to all our tourists.” S K Hari Arumugam, Chairman, Organising Committee, SIHRA Convention 2018, said, “It is our objective that each and every fellow member is an integral part of this movement, empowered with a forum to voice concerns and have problems redressed and, to facilitate every member in  enabling them to take advantage of this event and enterprise.”

In a focused effort to cater to its growing south region travellers, SOTC has organised special regional Tamil tours. For SOTC, Tamil Nadu has recorded a growth of over 25-30 per cent annually as compared to the previous year. Cities like Salem, Coimbatore, Chennai, Erode and Pondicherry continue to show impressive growth. With the emerging potential witnessed from Port Blair as well, SOTC will be venturing into opening a branch shortly to meet its demand. SOTC’s entry into the Tamil Nadu market segment has drawn focus to not only the business travellers but also the leisure business segment and the highly viable b-leisure segment (business plus leisure). The company’s highest enquiries come from the State include leisure, bleisure and MiCE. Daniel D’souza, Head of Sales – India & NRI Markets & E-Commerce, SOTC Travel said, “The Tamil Nadu market is an advanced market and they look to travel and indulge in new experiences and culture. Tamil Nadu currently contributes significantly to our overall SOTC business and given the strong YoY growth and high potential, we have identified the state as a key strategic focus for our company.” He added, “To offer value to our loyal and growing Tamil customer segment, we had created unique regional tours that offer a regional touch while on an international holiday and this has been inspiring impressive uptake with a growth of 25-30% YoY.”

The Tamara Kodai is the newest addition to The Tamara brand of luxury resorts. It is located in the historical La Providence in Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu and offers 53 suites of French Provincial design, each boasting of a bedroom with large balcony, living room, and an attached bathroom. Each suite features wooden floors, room heaters, contemporary in-room amenities, complimentary high-speed internet, LED TV with satellite channels and 24/7 room service facility. It also has a Ball Room that can accommodate more than 100 guests with a spacious pre-function area. Wellness facilities will include The Elevation Spa, Yoga Lounge and a fitness centre. La Providence is a historical structure dating back to the 1840s that was known to be one of the first structures to come up in the region. An expansion took place staying as close to the old colonial style of architecture as possible.  

Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department is now working on six marquee projects which offer tremendous growth and potential for investments. This was informed to participants at a panel discussion on tourism on the opening day of the three-day CII Partnership Summit by AP Tourism Secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena. He said that the Special Tourism Zone at Madhurawada and INS Virat aircraft carrier museum in Visakhapatnam, Havelock Bridge in Rajahmundry, Bhavani Island in the middle of Krishna river in Vijayawada, Kakinada Hope Island under Swadesh Darshan scheme in East Godavari district, and Gandikota Fort in Guntur district  would be developed with private participation. The major challenge identified is availability of infrastructure. In terms of domestic tourism, Andhra Pradesh is number three in the country after Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. “It would not contribute to the economy unless and until we increase the length of stay of tourists which can be done by creating the infrastructure and make their stay enjoyable,” Meena observed.

After the recent opening of its new property in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Hyatt India has plans to expand further in India in Lucknow and Hyderabad. Kurt Straub, Vice President-Operations, Hyatt India Consultancy Private Limited, reveals, “The next two years for us will be positive and interesting as we have a number of developments coming up in a number of cities in India. We have recently opened the Hyatt Place in Rameshwaram, and we have the Hyatt Regency in Lucknow coming up very soon as well as Hyatt Place in Hyderabad which will be our third hotel in Hyderabad. A really big opening will be our Grand Hyatt Kochi.”

Hyatt has announced the opening of its Hyatt Place Rameswaram, the first Hyatt Place hotel in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the fifth Hyatt Place hotel to open in India. The hotel offers 101 guestrooms and suites, 4,757 square feet of high-tech meeting space, free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, 24-hour gym, and an outdoor swimming pool. “The opening of Hyatt Place Rameswaram is a significant milestone for the Hyatt Place brand as it continues to expand in India and across the globe,” said Kurt Straub, Hyatt’s vice president of operations, India. “Rameswaram’s first Hyatt Place hotel will be a vibrant and dynamic hotel that combines comfort and style that fits right into the region’s religious tourism.” Hyatt Place Rameswaram is situated in the heart of the Rameswaram, close to the holy Ramanathaswamy Temple and Agni Theertham, one of Rameswaram’s sacred bodies of water, as well as the house of former Indian president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalamvarious. The holy city of Rameswaram is located on an island connected through the famous Pamban Bridge to mainland India. It is one of the four renowned “Chaar Dham” pilgrimage spots in the country and a place of great interest for both domestic and international travelers. “We are delighted to announce the opening of Hyatt Place Rameswaram in South India. The Hyatt Place brand offers an innovative service concept and a modern design, and we are confident this hotel will provide a wonderful new lodging option to those visiting the area. JKR remains highly committed to providing modern and affordable accommodation and services that cater to the needs of those visiting the holy city,” said Sharda Deepa, managing director, JKR Enterprise Limited, …

Domestic tourist visits (DTVs) to states/UTs was 1,653 million in 2016 as compared to 1,432 million in 2015 corresponding to a growth of 15.5 per cent. The contribution of the top 10 states/UTs during 2016 stood at approximately 84.2 per cent to the total number of DTVs as against 83.62 per cent recorded in 2015. The top 10 states in terms of highest number of DTVs (in millions) received during 2016 were Tamil Nadu (344.3), Uttar Pradesh (229.6), Madhya Pradesh (184.7), Andhra Pradesh (158.5), Karnataka (129.8), Maharashtra (115.4), West Bengal (74.5), Telangana (71.5), Gujarat (42.8) and Rajasthan (41.5).

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has announced the opening of its first Radisson Blu in Coimbatore. It is the second-largest city in Tamil Nadu. Centrally located on Avinashi Road and a mere seven kilometers away from Coimbatore International Airport and Coimbatore Junction, the city’s primary railway station, the hotel is also close to textile and engineering industries, educational institutions and multi-specialty hospitals. Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said, “Radisson Blu Coimbatore is set to raise the bar on the city’s upper-upscale hospitality landscape and bring new standards to the city. We are honored to be partnering with GBJ Hotels Pvt. Ltd and appreciate their trust in our brand and expertise. With 140 hotels in operation and under-development, this hotel will be a valued addition as we expand and grow our footprint in South India.” G. Balasubramaniam, Managing Director, GBJ Hotels Pvt. Ltd., added, “This is our first hospitality venture and we are happy in the strong leadership of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and its South Asia team.  We are confident that their proven experience and marketing expertise will benefit the hotel and I look forward to a mutually rewarding long-term association with the Group.”