THE LEELA PALACES, HOTELS AND RESORTS ENTERS NEPAL
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The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts and Summit Group of Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the presence of the Prime Minister of Nepal, Sushil Koirala, to collaborate on the first of four hotels, to be established across Nepal, marking a new era of partnership in tourism between India and Nepal. The Leela Kathmandu, the first of the series, a 5-star deluxe hotel to be built in the heart of Kathmandu, is expected to be completed within 36 months.
Summit Group, which has extensive interests in real estate, hotels and allied businesses, will develop the property, while The Leela will market and manage it as part of its award-winning portfolio of eight iconic properties in prime urban and holiday destinations across India.
At the signing ceremony, Koirala welcomed the entry of The Leela and urged the Group to establish hotels in other parts of Nepal. Both Prime Minister Koirala and his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have shown serious intent in developing their tourism across the member nations of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Emphasising the crucial role travel and tourism plays in the economic development of the country, Vivek Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts said, “We are delighted to begin our foray in the international markets with Kathmandu. Given the potential of tourism worldwide, we look forward to expanding our footprint in India and overseas."
The Leela Kathmandu will be the first of a series of hotels to be established across Nepal. It will be followed by a hotel in Lumbini, birthplace of the Buddha, as part of The Leela Group's plans to pave a Buddhist Trail from Nepal to Bodhgaya, Nalanda, and Varanasi in India. Other places in Nepal where hotels are being planned under the Leela banner include Pokhara.
Amrit Shakya, Chairman and Managing Director, Summit Group said, “The entry of the Leela Group in Nepal would dramatically raise standards and help stimulate tourism. I believe the time has now come for the government and private sector to collaborate in revitalizing the tourism sector. We have to work together with the government to frame policies that attract international expertise and investment to help consolidate the tourism industry.”
Nair further added that Nepal could be confident in meeting the forecast of the World Travel and a Tourism Council (WTTC) in its authoritative, 2014 annual report. According to the report, WTTC predicts that the total contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the Nepalese GDP, including jobs indirectly supported by the industry, will rise from Nepali Rupees 145.3 billion to 257.4 billion, by 2024. The report also forecasts employment rising from 1.112 million jobs in 2013 to 1.7 million jobs in 2024.
Nair also emphasised the need to enhance skills development in the sector and establish a world-class hotel and tourism management institute in Nepal.