India offers a golden experience for groups

Blending ancient culture and a rapidly modernising infrastructure, India's Golden Triangle is reaching out for new incentive business. By Gaurav Motwane Sprawling forts, elegant palaces and folklore, North India's Golden Triangle - the cities of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur - conjure images of the maharajah experience. Despite India's technological growth over the past few years, these three cities have retained all their cultural garb and mystical surroundings. Consequently, the Golden Triangle has emerged as an incentive destination and, while European groups have long been coming to the region, recent trends suggest incentive traffic is arriving from Japan, South Korea, China and Australia, principally from the automotives, banking, insurance, electronics, pharmaceuticals and IT industries. "The approximate numbers of incentive tourists for Delhi-Agra-Jaipur from the Asia Pacific market would lie somewhere between 800 and 1,000 people per year, although these numbers seem to increase every year," Sitaworld Travels executive director and chief operating officer Mr Arjun Sharma says. "The Golden Triangle's popularity with the Asia Pacific market is obvious from the number of daily flights operated by Singapore Airlines, Air India, Cathay Pacific between Delhi and major Asia Pacific hubs such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok or Sydney. Apart from international flights, our domestic scene is also geared to run two flights daily between Delhi-Agra-Jaipur." The region's history is a big pull. The enduring image of Agra's Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort are just two major attractions. Likewise Jaipur - known as the Pink City because of the stone used in many of the old city buildings - is a tribute to the Rajput lifestyle. The city boasts the 950-latticed window Hawa Mahal Fort, the Sisodia Rani-ka-Bagh Garden and the Amer Palace, where Jaipur royalty held court for seven centuries. As the destination's capital, Delhi too has a fascinating history; the Qutab Minar Tower, Jama Masjid Mosque and Chandni Chowk Bazaar. "India, where the ancient and the modern co-exist, is a country made for incentives", Mr Sharma adds. "India's incentive cities mainly include Delhi, Agra and Jaipur but also there is Jodhpur, Udaipur and Goa." History aside, the region's tourism industry believes there are many reasons why groups should choose it for an incentive. Uttar Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (UPTDC) regional tourist officer Mr Bimlesh Kumar attributes the three cities' locations as a main reason. "Many foreign executives visit Delhi on business and have to contact ministries for their companies and acquire licences, even for seminars," he says. "All the travel authorities in charge of these cities are therefore focusing on how to make the Golden Triangle an ideal destination for incentive travel." Mr Sharma adds that visiting all three cities in one incentive tour is feasible as it would involve a maximum of seven days. The cities' events organisers are well-versed in providing the client with unusual welcome receptions. In Delhi, guests are greeted with an "aarti and tilak" (greeting) ceremony. In Agra, this reception ritual is often accompanied by the sounds of the traditional shehnai instrument. Then guests will take the trip up to Amer Palace on decorated elephants' backs, the journey lined with a long reception committee. This trip is also accompanied by folk songs and dance by the locals at the Sheesh Mahal or Durbar Hall. Some welcomes also organise puppet or magic shows and fortune tellers. With such scope, the region's destination management companies (DMCs) and event organisers can go to town with incentive programmes. Aside from welcome ceremonies, Sitaworld organises a Mughal theme in Delhi, where costumed ushers guide guests to Mughal delicacies. In Agra, guests can be welcomed military style or a mock Indian wedding complete with the shehnai and baraat (dance) can be arranged. At Amer Palace, local bands can accompany camel carts and royal elephants for a cocktail evening at Sheesh Mahal and dinner at Durbar Hall, accompanied by fireworks and folk dances. Alternatively, gala dinners can be organised at the city palace. Thomas Cook India also organises incentive programmes and includes the village "mela" fair theme in Delhi, where doll-making, puppet-making, pichwai painting, monkey shows, snake charming are available, while a Rajasthani evening in Jaipur can include a Rajput wedding with the mehendi (henna) and baraat ceremony. Alternative venues such as palaces and forts are available but require government permission. Undoubtedly the Golden Triangle presents a host of ideal venues for dinners and welcome receptions but invariably, groups require the complimentary infrastructure. DMC TCI director Mr Jehangir Katgara believes all three cities offer, adequate infrastructure for small and large incentive groups in terms of hotels rooms and airline capacity. "Not only that," Thomas Cook India manager inbound and domestic operations Mr Frank Moraes says, "but the accessibility between these three cities is easy. The distance between Delhi and Agra is 205km, Agra to Jaipur is 250km and Jaipur to Delhi is 265km. These destinations also have a very good infrastructural network between them such as excellent roads, fast trains running between the cities and not to mention the recently introduced air services offered by Jet Airways between these sectors." UPTDC's Mr Kumar agrees. "We're not only encouraging incentive traffic via media campaigns but also equip Agra with infrastructure to become a conference destination too so higher spending tourists can stay longer in Agra. We are facilitating speedy clearance of exhibition licences and documents and related assistance," he says. "But we have even gone a step further. In a joint venture four years ago we started the Jaypee Palace Hotel, a state-of-the-art hotel cum conference and exhibition centre. For conferences, this hotel is on a par with any of Delhi's conference centres, so it works as a value add-on for incentive and corporate clients looking for unusual locations." The Jaypee Palace Hotel boasts of an international convention centre that can seat 1,500 delegates theatre-style with state-of-the-art convention facilities. This hotel has been the host for a number of large-scale corporate conventions like that of Asian Paints, the Hero Honda Annual Dealers' Conference and a 600-delegate Eureka Forbes' Convention. Agra and Jaipur are not far behind Delhi in terms of luxury hotels. Delhi's infrastructure allows for more than a dozen five-star hotels such as the Inter-Continental Meridien, Taj Palace, Park Royal, Ashok, Imperial, The Hyatt, The Taj Mahal, Maurya Sheraton, Grand Hyatt and Radisson. Even a small city such as Agra has five-star hotels such as the Taj View, Mughal Sheraton, Agra Ashoka, Clarks Shiraj alongside the Jaypee Palace. Another significant step Indian travel authorities have taken in boosting incentive activities in the Golden Triangle is the luxury train The Palace on Wheels travelling between the three cities. The train, which was once used by the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Viceroy of British India, was launched as a heritage tourist train in 1982 by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and Indian Railways and was revamped to provide luxury travel. There are 14 deluxe saloons available, each with four cabins, two restaurants and kitchen cars serving Indian and Chinese cuisine. It travels from Delhi to Jaipur, taking in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai, Madhopur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur and Bharatpur on its way to Agra, before passing through Fatehpur Sikri and arriving in Delhi. The travelling is done by night while sightseeing is done by day. Additionally, the Royal Orient Express takes tourists from Delhi to all the Rajasthan cities although it does not include Agra. And The Palace on Wheels and Royal Orient can be specially chartered for bigger corporate trips. With all these potential incentive options, the region's DMCs and event organisers are gearing up for a significant increase in incentive trade from Asia Pacific. This is strengthened by their efforts to offer competitive prices and a wide variety of activities for the Asia Pacific market. "We have started a light and sound show at the Agra Fort for our incentive groups," Mr Kumar says. "The UPTDC also organises a cultural festival between February 18 and 27 every year. This displays our culture, dance and handicrafts. Such additions can make the overall incentive experience more memorable." Mr Katgara says the possible availability of unusual venues is also a bonus. "Ancient monuments are other unusual venues for which we have been doggedly trying to persuade the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to permit us to host evening events," he says. "The ASI could charge a reasonable fee, which could be used toward the maintenance of the monuments and its surrounding facilities so our clients can enjoy a dinner or theme party in the most exotic surroundings." Undoubtedly India, with its regional diversity, offers a wide choice of routes for large and small incentive groups but the fact remains the Golden Triangle offers the largest infrastructure. The region's incentive industry is convinced business prospects remain bright and are especially encouraged by the recent spate of Asia Pacific clientele.