Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts has set a target of opening 15 properties in India by 2005, and asked the government to further liberalise the aviation sector to boost the country's tourism industry.
"We will have at least 15 hotels in the country by 2005, becoming the largest international chain of hotels and resorts in India. This leaves our nearest competitors way behind us," Ashok Ummat, senior vice president (finance and development), Middle East and West Asia, told PTI after the launch of Le Meridien, Jaipur, on Wednesday.
"We have immense faith in India's strong economic fundamentals indicative of growing prosperity. The number of business as well as casual visitors to the country is showing steady increase," he said.
India's tourism industry is poised to take a big leap, Ummat added.
"The government must bring a real 'open sky' policy to boost the inflow of tourists into the country. There is enough potential to increase the number of airline passenger arrivals by 300 per cent," he said, adding that would augment India's forex reserves and improve its "business image" globally.
"The Indian subcontinent is one of the prime regions for the growth and development of our brand. The addition of Le Meridien, Jaipur, to our portfolio is very much in line with our endeavour to double the number of properties in this region by the end of 2004," he said.
In India, he said, the group is looking to enter new areas like Gurgaon (Haryana), Hyderabad, Goa and Chandigarh. The potential of these places has not been properly harnessed, Ummat observed.
He said hotels in Karachi and Kathmandu would be coming up next year besides three hotels in Saudi Arabia - Mecca, Medina and Taif.
Observing that hospitality industry generated large employment opportunities, he said, "We presently have 3,500 staffers and on an average create jobs for thrice the number indirectly."
Ruling out any arrangement with any other hotel chain in the country, he said the company is inclined to forge partnerships only with individual units.
A K Verma, general manager, Le Meridien, Jaipur, said the hotel is the biggest five-star hotel in north India, outside Delhi, and is likely to break even in the first year itself.
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