Taj Safaris now in Nepal. By Sharang Bhaskaran
luxury travel in India is getting a wild makeover with nature retreats in forests and national parks coming up to take experiential holidays to the next level. More and more travellers are opting for a quiet getaway amidst the natural habitat of flora and fauna instead of the popular choices like hills or beaches. Hotels are therefore, lapping into the potential of this previously unchartered territory in India.
Taj Safaris, the creators of India’s first luxury wildlife travel circuit in Madhya Pradesh, announced the opening of its first lodge outside India, Meghauli Serai at UNESCO World Heritage listed Chitwan National Park in Nepal.
Talking about the potential of this sector in India, Mridula Tangirala, director of operations, Taj Safaris, said, “luxury travel in India has been centred mostly in Rajasthan and hill stations and we realised that the wildlife luxury sector has been an unexplored area in the country. We want to do what African countries have done in this sector, developing a luxury travel circuit around its abundant nature and wildlife resources.”
The design and styling of the lodges see a lot of natural elements being used that give them an earthy appeal that’s a welcome departure from the traditional look of luxury hotels. “For our lodges in Madhya Pradesh and now in Nepal, we recruited many new designers to create and design our hotel merchandise. The designers have employed the skills of local artisans to create products for our lodges from natural materials. Through this, we have been encouraging and promoting the local art and artists in these areas,” she explained.
“For a lodge in the wild, what can be better than using the art and crafts from the rural and forest areas to make the retreats a homely place for our guest,” she adds.
The market in India is growing from luxury being just a boutique experience to a more personalised one and the hospitality industry has a major part to play in it. As a whole new section of the young population is redefining travel and opening up to the prospect of luxury living, how according to her is the sector going to grow and what is the scope of it in the futureIJ
“luxury travel is an aspirational experience and we have been working on making it an affordable experience for people. India is a popular destination for tourists from around the world and a lot of young people are discovering new destinations. There are many locations in India where the luxury travel sector has potential to grow and we want to reach those places to give our customers a unique experience. In the next five years, we will see a lot of development in this sector and we will soon compete with other Asian and African countries with regard to the wildlife luxury experience,” said Tangirala.
When asked about the future plans of expansion, she said, "We are looking at locations in other parts of the country and also considering taking Taj Safaris to potential locations to south east Asia as well."