Worship cum luxury

Religious tourism gets an overhaul with the coming up of luxury hotels at various pilgrimage destinations

The religious destinations are no longer just places of worship. Thetourism industry is realising the vast untapped potential of religiousspots as the new destination of choice. And if one was to say thatreligious tourism in the country has taken a new dimension with the comingup of luxury hotels in religious destinations across the country, then itwon't be an exaggeration.

Many of the leading chains of hotels like Ista, Radisson, Country Inn andSuites by Carlton have opened their hotels in popular religious spots suchas Haridwar, Amritsar, Katra and Varanasi to name a few.

The fact that the pilgrims are not ready to compromise on facilities andcomfort and opt for luxury hotels vis-Ã -vis staying in a dharamshala,seems to have led to this trend of luxury hotels coming up in religiousspots. Kuldeep Sharma, Manager operations, Country Inn & Suites byCarlson, Katra says, "Vaishno Devi shrine sees numerous visitorsthroughout the year. And we have seen that the pilgrims go for comfort,even if they have to pay high for it." Rajiv Kumar Rai, director sales atRadisson Varanasi says, "For pilgrims, safety and hygiene are mostimportant when deciding where they want to stay."

Most luxury hotels aim at making the trip a memorable experience fordevotees. Sharma says, "Today, being religious does not mean abstinencefromluxury and comfort." Affluent travellers from across key cities in Indiaare combining religious destination visits with rest and relaxation inluxurious confines. "We have a growing segment of NRIs and foreigntourists visiting from UK, Israel, US, Germany, and Thailand and theyexpect nothing less from us. Also, many newly-wed Sikh and Punjabi couplesfrom over the world, come to seek the divine blessings," adds Sharma.We were invited to one of such luxury hotel called Ista in Amritsar. Thehotel which is the only five star hotel in Amritsar, is doing greatbusiness thanks to the pilgrims, who go to visit The Golden Temple.Located at about a half-hour drive from the Amritsar International Airportand just about five kilometres from The Golden Temple, the hotel has acourteous staff, and great ambience to the delectable food. Once you arehere, we recommend you to visit the spa at the hotel, which is run bytherapists trained by Ananda in the Himalayas.

Fact file

Where to stay in Amritsar: Ista Amritsar, Main GT Road, Amritsar

How to reach there:
By Air: Raja Sani International Airport is well connected through JetAirways, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Air India

By Rail: Delhi is directly connected to Amritsar via rail route. It takesabout 8 to 10 hours to reach Amritsar by train.

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