WelcomHeritage Focuses On Circuit Tourism, Signs More Properties

Anupama Anand - New Delhi

Restoration and conversion of heritage properties into swanky luxurious hotels being the buzzword, WelcomHeritage is now acquiring properties with the strategic focus on circuit tourism. The group, which already has the Gorkha boats on the Nagin lake in Srinagar and Shamba La in Ladakh is on its way to sign a property in Gulmarg and Pahalgam to complete the circuit.

Adding on to it, they have fortified their presence in the Shekhawati and Rajasthan circuits by signing Sheikhpura Kothi in Hansi and Lal Niwas in Philodi respectively.

These properties are not only an add on to their circuits, but also bring them to 33 - seven short of the company’s target of 40 properties in India by the end of 2005. Meanwhile, the Fernhills Palace and Regency Villas at Ooty have opened their doors to guests on May 7 after renovation.

Explaining the strategy behind following the circuit tourism format, Rakesh Mathur, president, WelcomHeritage, said, “It is catching up. People now do not want to just stay at one place. Instead they want to explore different places, they prefer to go in for circuit tours. This way they can make most of their holidays.”

Lal Niwas, a 10-key property in Phalodi, makes a convenient stop for lunch break en route, between Jodhpur and Jaislmer and also a comfortable base trip to temples at Osian and Ramdeora and migratory bird sanctuary at Kheechan. The location of the property completes the WelcomHeritage circuit of Jodhpur-Khimsar-Osian-Ramdeora-Kheechan-Phalodi-Jaisalmer.

The Sheikhpura Kothi, a heritage manor built in the style of a French Chateau on a sprawling seven-acre-estate, offers a ‘farm and village experience’. “It is part of our Shekhawati circuit. The unique concept is particularly suitable for a weekend getaway for families and also serve as a venue for meetings and conferences in natural environment,” added Mathur.