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Sudha Menon

PUNE, March 20

WELCOMHERITAGE, the ITC hotel division's joint venture with Maharaj Gaj Singh of Jodhpur (who owns Marudhar Hotels), is rapidly expanding its operations in the country to tap the growing market for heritage tourism among both domestic and international tourists.

The company which currently operates 26 heritage properties, including Umaid Bhavan, Jodhpur, is all set to launch at least five heritage properties beginning next month well in time to catch the exodus of tourists to the cooler climes of the hills. The chain is also ready with a summer-time debut in South India where it is currently negotiating for a number of properties, Mr Rakesh Mathur, President, WelcomHeritage, told Business Line. The company, which promotes tourism by helping owners of heritage properties make these productive business ventures, will kick off its expansion plans from Dharamshala where it will throw open the doors of Grace Cottage, a British-owned bungalow dating back to the 1800s to tourists who like their holidays with a bit of history thrown in.

The bungalow, which was later owned by India's first Chief Justice, Mihirchand Mahajan, is now being restored by the family to be launched as a heritage hotel next month, Mr Mathur said. The company will also launch a camping property with over 30 rooms next month at Manali in the Solan Valley en route to Rohtang, he added.

Mr Mathur said the company's revenues, which touched Rs 24 crore last year, remained stagnant this year due to a sharp drop in international tourists as a fall-out of the terror attacks in New York last year. "We managed to keep revenues at the same level in the year just ended by promoting packages for domestic tourists and are expecting business to take off this year."

In May this year, the company is all set to take the brand to Leh in Ladakh where it plans to launch a 25-room property, the WelcomHeritage Shambhala hotel. Mr Mathur said that tourist influx into the place, which is the seat of Buddhism, has been very high in the last few years. Hollywood heartthrob Richard Gere is amongst some of the best-known visitors to this town with its ancient monasteries and starkly beautiful landscapes. "While there are hotels available here, there are no branded hotels in Leh and we might expand the property to make a few more rooms," he said.

WelcomHeritage is also in the process of negotiating with local partners for a string of properties in South India and will launch at least two properties, in Mysore and Ooty in May this year. Mr Mathur said the company would also launch properties in Mussoorie and Darjeeling around the same time. "We are also finalising properties in Jammu and Srinagar, but that is likely to be only in the next fiscal," he said.

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