China hot spot for Taj group
The Asian Age  — August 25, 2004

The Indian Hotels Company Ltd announced on Tuesday that the company would extend its footprint to China and expand its existing business in the Middle-East. This is for the first time, any Indian hotel company is planning to set up a base in China. China has recently shown a healthy growth in the outbound tourism market. However, tourists from China coming to India are few in numbers. It is still at a nascent stage. Mr Raymond N. Bick- son, managing director, IHCL told reporters that the company would like to start a new hotel in China under the Taj brand name. 

"We are pursuing the Chinese project for the last one and a half years. But we are yet to find a suitable property to start the hotel," he said. According to Mr Bickson, the company is also open to the franchisee model where the hotel works on a management contract. The company is also planning to expand its presence in the Middle-East. "We are looking at a beach property to start a luxury hotel," Mr Bickson said. The company has already one hotel in Dubai called the Taj Palace Dubai. It has recently expanded its presence to other parts of the Middle-East. 

The Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces is all set to unveil its latest creation - the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa in Mauritius. "This hotel, located at Wol-mar Beach is scheduled to open in November this year," he said. On Tuesday, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and Raffles International Ltd, entered into a strategic joint marketing alliance to develop cross-promotional opportunities for both companies to harness each other's strengths in their respective markets of dominance. 

Ms Jennie Chua, chairman and chief executive officer, Raffles International said, "The alliance comes at the most opportune time when India's tourism industry is booming on account of a rush of foreign tourists into the country and increased travel by Indians to domestic and overseas destinations. By creating an alliance with an India-based hotel company with properties that have similar brand positioning and quality of customer service to our own, we offer our guests reciprocal privileges and benefits." 

Mr Bickson, said, "This will give us the opportunity to create a greater awareness of the Taj brand in the key markets across Asia-Pacific, Europe and America." Under the alliance, both Taj Hotels and Raffles will develop reciprocal and joint marketing activities that include joint participation in trade shows across Asia Pacific, Europe and America.