Hotels in South Asia

Today the Indian Sub-Continent has been referred as South Asia. Those countries which lie between the mighty Himalayas and the Indian Ocean from North to South and between River Indus and Gangetic valley from West to East are called South Asian countries. They include Nepal, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. These countries share a common tradition and culture, Though languages, clothing and food habits differ still there are so many common features that sometimes it becomes difficult to identify one Nation from another, one individual from another. The natural gifts and the flora and fauna that South Asia enjoys have made the region a tourist destination. It may be rightly called a tourist’s paradise as one may explore snow capped mountains, tropical forests, green valleys, rugged plateaus, sandy beaches and even an active volcano at Barren Islands.

Tourism is an important activity and source of income for these South Asian nations. May it be the Kashmir Valley or sea resorts in Maldives, local people earn most of their living catering to the needs of the tourists. The respective Governments and the private sectors have joined hands to develop the infrastructure for tourism. The hotel industry is thus booming. Nowadays more and more star hotels are expanding their hospitality to new zones and new tourist spots.

The Oberoi Group of hotels and The Taj group have opened a chain of luxury 5 star hotels and resorts throughout the Sub Continent and are the most trustworthy destinations for international tourists.

The Oberoi Grroup founded in 1934 operates the luxury ”Oberoi” and 5 star “Trident” brands. These hotels have state of the art facilities and thus are ideal choice for business and leisure travelers. At present there are 8 Trident hotels in India. These are located in located in Mumbai, Gurgaon, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Cochin, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur.

The Taj Hotels are famous all over the World for their hospitality and for their unique blend of ethnic and modern architecture. The Taj Palace in Mumbai is India’s pride. Taj Hotels are scattered all over India. Taj Exotica at Bentota in Sri Lanka and Taj Samudra in Colombo are quite popular to international tourists.

Other than the famous hotel chains there are Budget hotels located in every city or every tourist destination both by Public and Private sector. In India the state government tourism departments run luxury and budget hotels at all tourist spots. These hotels can be booked through online sites as well as through tourist offices located across the country.

In Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan more and more luxury hotels and resorts are coming up every year to cater to the needs of the ever growing tourists to this region.

Most hotels are listed in travel guide websites for online booking. Most of these hotels also arrange package tours for tourists to interiors and other destinations. They also organize adventure sports, trekking, jungle safari along with cultural festivals and fairs to highlight regional culture. These fairs and festivals also help the local people to sale their handicrafts and other products to foreigners. Often a few have also been chosen for international marketing. Thus these hotels of South Asia also preserve the rich regional culture and perform their social responsibilities quite well.