Inbound tourism has become an increasingly diverse sector for India. The growth of short-haul markets in Asia, as well as a healthy and growing domestic market, gives India access to travelers who will explore other aspects of the destination as in more sun and fun as well as more pilgrimage travelers coming for important Buddhist and Hindu sites. India is the homeland of the Buddha as well as the land that gave us Hinduism.

Travelers coming from short-haul destinations in Asia will probably change a tourist mix, which now has the U.S. as India’s top market for foreign travelers. About 1.08 million Americans visited India in 2013.

The traditional U.S. approach to traveling in India, which sees the country as an almost exclusively cultural experience and generally combines Delhi, Agra (Taj Mahal) and such Rajasthani destinations as Jaipur and Jodhpur, remains very strong and hotels continue to cluster around these magnets.

Hilton Opens Hotel in Jaipur

Agra and Jaipur remain India’s two most visited attractions. Hilton is now in both locations. The Hilton Jaipur recently opened as the latest Hilton branded hotel in India. This month the 104-room DoubleTree by Hilton Agra, will open less than a mile from the Taj Mahal, and will be one of a very few hotels that actually a view of the site. Located in central Agra, the hotel will also be near such attractions and shopping hubs as Agra Fort, Akbar’s Tomb and Kinari Bazaar.

The Jaipur hotel is well located for access to such attractions as the Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Albert Hall Museum and such shopping and entertainment hubs as Johari and Bapu Bazaar. The hotel has a full variety of restaurants as well as live cooking stations and the Tandoor kitchen at Aurum. The hotel also has an outdoor pool, gym and a 2,400-square foot spa that includes three treatment rooms, and steam and sauna facilities.

Hilton operates hotels and resorts in India under the brands Hilton Hotels & Resorts and DoubleTree by Hilton, and the focused-service brands, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton. Hilton operates the New Delhi: Hilton Garden Inn New Delhi/Saket; the Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square and DoubleTree by Hilton Gurgaon-New Delhi NCR; the Hilton Mumbai International Airport; the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore; the Hilton Chennai; the Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum; the Hampton by Hilton Vadodara-Alkapuri; the DoubleTree by Hilton Pune-Chinchwad; the DoubleTree by Hilton Goa-Arpora-Baga and Shillim; and the Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa.

Mövenpick Opening in Kerala

Another popular area for Indian tourism is Kerala and Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is moving into that area as it grows its Indian footprint. The 167-room Mövenpick Hotel Kochi will open later this year, bringing the brand’s Indian portfolio to three properties. It already runs the Mövenpick Hotel Bangalore and is drawing up plans for a spa resort in Dharamshala.

“India has tremendous potential for further growth in the domestic and international travel segments,” said Andreas Mattmüller, Mövenpick’s COO for Middle East and Asia. “Last year, revenues from domestic tourism rose by 5 percent and that figure is expected to increase to 8 percent during 2014. Considering this along with the country’s planned infrastructure developments, we’re keen to continue expanding our existing portfolio in India by including additional key cities.”

The Kochi property lies about four miles from the city center. Kochi is also known as Cochin, the capital of Kerala. Kochi is one of India’s most important seaports and widely regarded as the commercial capital of Kerala, which has seen GDP growth of more than 8 percent during 2013. An Ayurvedic spa will be an important component of the hotel as well as a studio for yoga, reflexology chambers, hammam, whirlpool and salon. Kerala is the home of the Ayurvedic approach to wellness.

Earlier this month the Kerala government committed itself publicly to developing a more modern infrastructure that was sustainable and to improve facilities especially at tourist destinations. The government is planning a 16-acre botanical garden, a big boost for destination weddings.

The Kerala Tourism Department is also planning a 36-room modern guest house in the hill station town of Munnar. Attracting tourists up into the Ghat Mountains will add an entirely new dimension to Kerala, which is primarily visited for its backwaters and historic Cochin (Kochi).

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts entered India in 2011 with the opening of Mövenpick Hotel Bangalore. The company also plans to open Mövenpick Dharamshala Resort & Spa, a 124-room resort in the Kangra Valley of northern India in an area with spectacular views of the indigenous forest and Himalayas.

ITC Provides Security for Female Travelers

India was all over the news as it completed the largest election, by voter, in history; an election that delivered a new government and a renewed commitment to tourism. Unfortunately, it also made news for a series of brutal attacks against women.

Even as the government is finally taking more serious steps to protect women so are such tourism stakeholders as ITC Hotels. With some 80 hotels throughout India, the stakes are high indeed for ITC. The chain is accentuating its Eva program, which began back in 2003. The program caters to the needs of the growing numbers of women travelers.

The Eva program features a woman-only Eva floor, staffed and serviced completely by women with special amenities. Even the security on each floor is provided by female guards who will ensure that only the visitors you select are permitted to your room. Lady butlers are present to respond to any request from wrapping a sari, to helping to plan your day, bring morning coffee to your room while you lounge and even provide you with the ITC specialty collection of spa cosmetics from face soaps to makeup foundation.

Source: http://www.travelpulse.com/news/hotels-and-resorts/indias-rising-tourism-driving-hotel-growth.html