Wyndham to Launch Howard Johnson Brand in India

Executive team members at Wyndham Hotel Group are traveling throughout India this month to explore development opportunities in the country.

The company plans to expand its presence in India in 2012 and beyond with a non-exclusive development agreement to launch the iconic Howard Johnson brand in India with 3,000 rooms across 35 new properties by 2017.

This agreement with Unique Mercantile India Private Limited, a large firm in India with investments in real estate development in Gujarat and Hyderabad, India, also includes the development of a new 120-room Ramada resort in Udaipur that will feature a spa, swimming pool, games room, a poolside bar and international cuisine. The hotel?s first 72 rooms are due to open in April 2012 with 48 additional rooms completed by December 2014.

These properties will add to Wyndham Hotel Group's 14 hotels already in operation and the 15 properties that are currently under development in the country.

Given the rise in tourism, India is full of growth opportunities, said Eric Danziger, Wyndham Hotel Group president and chief executive officer. We are happy to start the New Year with such exciting expansion plans and look forward to many more opportunities. We remain committed to developing hotels with distinctive services and offerings while strengthening our global presence in sought after destinations.

The agreement with Unique Mercantile India Private Limited increases Wyndham Hotel Group's portfolio in the Asia Pacific region, which currently consists of 466 properties and over 65,453 rooms under the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Ramada, Howard Johnson, Days Inn, Super 8, Microtel Inns & Suites and Dream brands.

The planned expansion in India follows the recent opening of the 154-room Wyndham Grand Agra under the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts flag. The hotel, owned by Shekhar Resorts Limited, is lavishly designed and offers a true feel for the area?s vibrant architecture. Spread over 18 acres of landscaped gardens, Wyndham Grand Agra is a mere five minutes from one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal.

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MoU with ASEAN will boost joint tourism, feels India

Sahai signed the MoU on strengthening tourism cooperation at the third meeting of ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers at Manado, Indonesia, Thursday. The meeting was jointly chaired by Sahai and Mari Elka Pangestu, Indonesian tourism and creative economy minister.

According to an official statement, Sahai expressed happiness over the progress made by ASEAN-India cooperation in Buddhist pilgrimage tourism including the production of material and documentary films. He said India was looking forward to more joint-tourism promotion activities.

Sahai said since the number of tourist arrivals between ASEAN and India had shown a steady growth, establishment of an ASEAN promotional chapter in Mumbai would act as a tourism marketing and promotion agency of the ASEAN National Tourism Organisation.

Sahai also welcomed the forthcoming ASEAN-India car rally to be held this year.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced during the ASEAN Summit at Bali last year that an MoU on strengthening tourism cooperation between India and ASEAN would be signed preferably at the ASEAN-India tourism ministers' meet in early 2012.

Besides cooperation in facilitating travel and tourist visits, the MoU speaks of enhancing human resource development in the tourism sector and exploring new possibilities for development and promotion of tourism. (IANS)

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Train to real India: On road to entrepreneurship

Jagriti, an NGO, brought together an odd assortment of 'yatris' (travellers with a mission) in a train that criss-crossed the country, exposing them to institutions that have developed unique solutions to India's challenges, in an effort to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship among them.

Odd because they included both rural and urban, rich and not-so-rich, Indians and foreigners, culturally refined and the street styled, chapati eating and rasam loving, men and women - bound by the common ability to be affected by the socio-economic condition of the country and a dream of bringing in change.

In the fourth year of the Jagriti Yatra, the train passed through Tamil Nadu's Madurai, Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam, Rajasthan's Tilonia, among other places, before culminating in Mumbai.

"The idea is to promote entrepreneurship-led development. Every person who takes part in the yatra goes back a different person," Jagriti co-founder Swapnil Dixit told IANS.

The programme focusses on 20-25 age group of "middle India". "It's the segment between the rich and poor -- where your per day income is Rs.40-120. We want to convert these job seekers into job creators," Dixit said.

An Indian Railways train was booked for the Dec 24-Jan 8 journey with specially equipped bathrooms and private caterers.

Around 15,000 people registered, of whom 450 were selected on the basis of a questionnaire. There were 35 foreign nationals from countries as diverse as Israel, Britain, South Africa and Argentina. "We include foreigners as they give an outsider's perspective to things," Dixit said.

But as theatre director Lewis Hallam famously put it, 'a journey is not undertaken without money', the yatra cost Rs.34,000 per person. And for those who couldn't afford it, it was just Rs.4,000 as the sponsors took care of the rest.

At a stopover for the yatris in Delhi, there was electrifying energy in the packed Kamani auditorium. The hall resonated with words like "amazing", "awe-inspiring", "incredible", "challenging" as participants sat down to review the journey.

"When you put 450 smart, bright people in a crazy train, amazing things happen. You have real high-level conversations about philosophy, education, history and everything," said Shay Eyal, owner of a start-up firm in Israel, shouting to make himself heard in the noise.

Then there was Abdul Kaleem from Uttar Pradesh's Deoria who participated as he wanted "to work for a sustainable model of education" in his district.

The participants got to witness the development taking place in the far corners of the country through innovative development initiatives, and interacted with those at the forefront of change.

The gender ratio inside the train was 60 males to 40 females.

According to Quinton Fivelman, currently working in Britain, "the train is like a pressure cooker with many cultures coming together. When you live in a small place, there's certain intimacy you develop."

"Some people from south India hadn't even got their winter clothes because they had never been to cooler climates, so there was a lot of sharing," Fivelman told IANS.

The participants met Infosys' N.R. Narayan Murthy; S. Aravind, who founded one of the most productive eye care facilities in Madurai; R. Elango, credited with transforming Kuthambakkam Village in Chennai, among other role models.

But how much of this initiative leads to tangible results? "Around 120 of our ex-participants have become entrepreneurs," said Dixit.

Britain's Richard Russell had been working in an Odisha NGO for a year. Ask him about his train experience and he takes a moment's pause to put his thoughts in order.

"I've been able to learn about enterprise models and ways of approaching development problems. We went to a village transformed by solar power, another one redeveloped by social enterprise," Russell told IANS.

(Mohita Nagpal can be contacted at mohita.n@ians.in) (IANS)

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Pedal your way to discovering the real India

Pradeep Sharma and his two friends are engineers working for multi-national companies (MNCs) in Bangalore. But their quest for adventure and green concerns has driven them to launch cycle tours and encourage people to take to pedalling for fun.

Pradeep hails from Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, while his friends Pankaj Mangal and Gaurav Mehendiratta respectively are from Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Delhi. The three are aged 28 and studied together in an engineering college in Ahmedabad.

They use films, music, songs, poetry, painting, photography, creative writing, books and rides to popularise bicycle tours and have also started a store in Bangalore - Art of Bicycle Trips.

The novel idea came to them during a cycle trip in July 2010. The trio went on a 120-km bicycle trip from Bangalore to a Cauvery fishing camp.

"After riding for around 60 km we sat under a statue of Mahatma Gandhi and started discussing our trip. We thought that for some bicycle is a utility and for others a revelation of human potential, but for us it was more of a new experience," Sharma recalled.

"Through that experience, the idea of a bicycle movement and Art of Bicycle Trips emerged," Sharma told IANS from Bangalore.

"India's beauty actually lies in its rural areas. And bicycle is the best medium to get connected with its nature and people, directly. So we offer a simple and unique way to experience the real India. Bicycling opens up a whole new world of adventure, freedom and mysticism on every spin," Sharma said.

The firm designs unique bicycle trips from day-long tours of within a city to safaris to other states including Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh.

One day-long safari has been named after the 1970s Bollywood hit "Sholay" and is called Sholay Adventure. Under it, riders can tour the region where the blockbuster was shot.

"We have 15 bicycles specially designed for different tours. So far 70 to 80 groups (comprising 5-6 people) have taken our service, mostly foreigners. Among them only 10-15 groups were Indian but we hope the number will increase in future," Mehendiratta told IANS.

The ambitious trio plans to open branches in Bhopal and Indore in Madhya Pradesh. While Mangal looks after the strategy and planning, Sharma manages the finance and operations and Mehendiratta looks after overseas marketing. Sharma and Mehendiratta hold B.Tech degrees, while Mangal has also done his MBA.

"In foreign countries there are many organisations promoting bicycle tours. And some foreign tour operators offer such tours in India too, but no Indian organisation is involved in such activities," said Sharma.

"We would like to spread out across the country and make it a true movement," he said.

The packages range from three-hour tours to day-long tours and three-day corporate safaris. The rate is 20 dollars for a three-hour tour, and can go up to USD 2,000 - depending on the tour. Food and lodging are in the package.

Art of Bicycle Trips run a website www.artofbicycletrip.com. They also have a page on a social networking site.

(Shahnawaz Akhtar can be contacted at shahnawaz.a@ians.in) (IANS)

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Syna Tiger Resort Opens in India

The Syna Tiger Resort opens today, following a four-year development at a cost of approximately $1.8 million.

The luxury jungle resort, a member of the Great Hotels of the World Luxury Collection, is located right on the edge of Bandhavgarh National Park in central India.

 Stretching over 437 square kilometres, the surrounding forest was once the hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa, and renowned as the home of the big cats. The resort serves as the ideal base from which you can explore the territory of the Royal Bengal tiger.

The resort setting is picture perfect, with an azure plunge pool surrounded by fifteen exclusive luxury cottages and one signature tree-house, all complete with modern amenities, network connectivity, private walled gardens and a jacuzzi.

The resort offers a wealth of offerings including the Wildwood spa, which provides guests with a variety of holistic and indigenous treatments, state-of-the-art fitness centre, pool, a restaurant that serves international and local cuisine, and a bar.

The real thrill of Bandhavgarh is the opportunity to see the big cats roam freely in the jungle. The Syna Tiger Resort provides special guided jeep and elephant safaris with experienced naturalists who aid in making trips more enriching. There are also various bird walks that guests can enjoy as well as separate cycling tracks.

Syna Tiger Resort also offers a naturally inspiring venue for corporate clients, featuring a fully equipped, modern day ?tapovana? ? an outdoor space for spiritual practice, used for holding effective training programmes.

Syna Tiger also has facilities to host weddings and banquets. The resort prides itself on being eco-friendly by harvesting rainwater and recycling.

 The resort is free of plastic and no chemical is allowed to seep back to the earth, via meticulous water treatment. By using local produce, employing local people and utilising locally relevant skills the resort keeps its carbon-footprint to a minimal level.

Arpan Dutta, chairman of Modus Vivendi Hospitality, said, ''This property is definitely one of the finest. Syna Tiger Resort will set an example for other resorts to follow. We aim to deliver the best of services with a rural touch and have a rural kitchen concept where guests are served authentic cuisine, cooked in a village style mud oven. Syna Tiger Resort will take tourists? expectations to a deeper and higher level.''

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India Names Hong Kong Cricket Sixes Team

Dinesh Karthik will hope to follow in the footsteps of Robin Singh and lead India to a second Cup title at the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes at the Kowloon Cricket Club on Sunday.

Former Hong Kong coach Singh was at the helm of the only Indian side to win the title, when he played a match-winning role to lead the crowd favourites to a four-wicket triumph over the West Indies in the 2005 Cup final.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik will hope to emulate that feat with a new-look India team that will be banking on a mix of youth and experience to pull off what would undoubtedly be a popular win with the hordes of Indian fans.

Karthik will be at the helm of a side that includes Ranji Trophy players Shalabh Srivastava, Sridhran Sriram, Vignesh Ganapathy, Mayank Agarwal, Manvidner Basla and Rajoo Bhaktal.

Much will depend on Karthik, who has played 23 tests and 45 one-day internationals for India, and the feisty batsman could take a leaf out of Singh?s book. In 2005, Singh led from the front, scoring an invaluable unbeaten 34 in the final as well as excelling in the field with some tidy wicket-keeping.

Prior to 2005, India had twice been losing finalists in the Cup competition (1992 and 1996), and the Chennai-born Karthik will be hoping his side can go all the way this time.

All eyes will be on Agarwal, 20, an explosive right-hand opening batsman from Bangalore who has modelled his style of play on Virender Sehwag. Agarwal toured Australia in 2009 with the U-19 side and hit a match-winning 160 in a one-dayer.

Another player to watch out for is opening batsman Bisla, who has been an IPL regular since 2009. Bisla, who now plays for the Kolkota Knight Riders, has also represented India at the Under-19 level.

India has been drawn with rivals Pakistan, South Africa and hosts Hong Kong in the preliminary round.

India: Shalabh Srivastava, Sridharan Sriram, Dinesh Karthik, Vignesh Ganapathy, Rajoo Bhaktal, Manvinder Bisla, Mayank Agarwal

Pool A: All Stars, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Scotland.
Pool B: Australia, England, Bangladesh and Ireland.
Pool C: Pakistan, South Africa, India and Hong Kong.

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