Star hotel in Kaziranga

 The Tata Group’s decision to set up a luxury hotel in Kaziranga on Saturday is a significant development not just in the tourism sector of the state but also for the overall socio-economic development of the region. Though Kamakhya Temple records the highest annual footfall, it is Kaziranga that has been the most dividend-paying tourism destination for Assam. High-end foreign tourists and multi-national companies always look for top-class hotels in tourist destinations. Kaziranga has, in recent years, had a few good hotels and resorts. But these neither have a good number of accommodations nor have real world class amenities, not to mention the concept of MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions), which represents a lucrative part of the tourism mix across the globe. Moreover, brand names also matter when it comes to attracting international tourists and MNCs. Fortunately for Assam, the Tatas have been present in the state as a tea company since the early 1960s, initially as Tata Finlay, subsequently as Tata Tea Ltd., and currently as Amalgamated Plantations Private Ltd. (APPL). For the record, the company is the second largest tea producer in the country, with 21 tea estates in Assam. Apart from having partnerships with over one lakh small tea growers, it has close to 30,000 employees and stakeholders in Assam. With its Hathikuli tea estate, established way back in 1907, adjoining Kaziranga National Park, the Tatas always had the best advantage to set up a five-star hotel in the vicinity of the World Heritage Site. In fact, the company, way back in 2007, announced its intention of entering the tea tourism sector, a decision that is now on its way to becoming a reality. The decision of the Tata Group to set up another luxury hotel between Guwahati and Jagiroad (where it is setting up the Rs 27,000 crore semiconductor assembly and test facility) is another welcome move, and together with its existing Ginger budget hotel, it is all poised to give a tremendous push to Assam’s tourism sector. Given the fact that the Tatas are known for working with local communities, the upcoming Tata initiatives, including the luxury hotel in Kaziranga, should definitely also engage themselves in hand-holding first-generation local entrepreneurs in becoming partners of progress.