The ecomonic recession is forcing people around the globe to shelve their plans to relax. Or so it seems from the dwindling number of foreign tourists patronising luxury spa Ananda in the Himalayas developed by the Delhi-based IHHR Hospitality Pvt Ltd (IHHRH), in recent months.
Ashok Khanna, managing director, IHHRH, which thrives on international tourists, said, ?About 70% of the visitors in our spa destination were international, while 30% were domestic. With the slowdown, the ratio of domestic to international clientele stands at 50:50. The global meltdown has exhorted us to focus on the domestic market.?
The company inaugurated its five-star luxury hotel, Ista, in Amritsar last weekend. Ista Amritsar, which entailed a capital outlay of Rs 180 crore, is the third in the chain, after Ista Bangalore and Ista Hyderabad which were opened in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Ista Amritsar is spread over 2.5 acres and has 248 rooms.
Khanna said, ? We had conducted a feasibility study for the ideal place for building the hotel and Amritsar emerged as one of the top destinations. Being one of the most popular religious tourist destinations of India, Amritsar has vast untapped potential in the area of hospitality. We will promote Amritsar in the international market through offices in the UK, the USA and Canada.? Ista hotels are planned also for Pune, Ahmedabad and Mauritius.
Ashwin Handa, general manager, said, ? For the first time the city of Amritsar will have a spa that offers a range of international and Indian options. It will be a perfect to host the most lavish weddings too.?