NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Yesterday’s Luxury... Today’s Necessity

Sitting in a plush resort perched on the backwaters in Kochi, the heart of 'God's Own Country' and the power centre of Indian tourism, I'm reflecting on how much has changed in this state over the last decade since I first visited here. No longer is it the reticent state, happy with its fair share of tourism. Today, Kerala has transformed into an aggressive player vying for far greater glory not only in the Indian tourism scenario but also fast establishing a global recognition for its prowess. This tourism driven state economy has not been content to rest on merely its 'backwaters' USP but has gradually made a foray into the business travel, incentive and MICE market while positioning itself as a major conference and convention destination. The realisation that business travel could easily form the year-round lifeline for the tourism economy has resulted in most hotels equipping themselves with better business-related guest facilities and even in-house convention centres. This syndrome has today manifested itself all over the country with not only city hotels but hotels and resorts in destinations like Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan, etc all gearing up to woo and satiate the needs of the business traveller. Our cover story in this issue takes a look at some of the facilities on offer, especially for the business traveller, by hotel chains all around the country, while our Spotlight feature is a case study on how the entire country of Malaysia is positioning itself as a MICE destination with a wide variety of offerings. Our two other destinations - Paris and Pune - may seem to have nothing in common other than the 'P' but a closer look will reveal that Pune too is fast developing into a business travel hub in western India. Coupled with our usual offerings of health and fitness, lifestyle features, great getaways and hot deals, I'm sure that this issue will make interesting reading…

Sheldon Santwan
EDITOR, feBusiness Traveller
Sheldon can be reached at editor@businesstravellerindia.com