Steena Joy – Mumbai
One&Only Resorts, the international luxury resort brand, has plans to target Tier II cities in India including Pune, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad to increase the tourist numbers from these markets. Set in some of the most beautiful locales in the world, each of the brand’s resorts offers guests a distinctive style and personality borne of its local culture. With properties in Maldives, Mauritius, Dubai, The Bahamas, Mexico and South Africa, One&Only recently announced plans to develop and operate three new One&Only resorts – in Sanya, Hainan, China; in Montenegro, which will be the first property for the collection in Europe and in Bahrain in the UAE. One&Only also assumed management of Hayman, Great Barrier Reef resort after a multi-million dollar renovation and re-launched it as One&Only Hayman Island in 2014. The company has also reflagged the Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort in Australia as a One&Only resort in February this year.
Speaking about these developments, Ivy Kwan, vice president, sales and marketing, One&Only Resorts said, “We want to make memorable stays. And being in very unique destinations we are able to do that.” As for India, Kwan added, “India is a very important market for us. Presently, Mumbai and Delhi are our major markets. We are also seeing a growth in Bengaluru. We get numbers from India especially for our properties in Dubai, Mauritius and South Africa.” Elucidating on the India strategy, Kwan said, “The key pillars in our marketing efforts will be working with tourism boards, participating in roadshows in India and amplifying consumer awareness. Recently, we have put up an installation (booth) at a popular mall in Delhi. We are also actively working with travel agents like Cox & Kings and Thomas Cook. We prefer working with specialists in the trade as ours is not a mass consumer product. We believe in a high level of personalisation.”
The brand is looking to target the honeymoon and wedding segments, high end leisure and key meeting groups coming out of India.