VANCOUVER, British Columbia - “Slumdog Millionaire”
“More than 5.3 million people traveled to India in 2008 and industry figures show that number should expand by about seven percent this year, despite the global economic turmoil,” says Praveen Syal, managing director of Indus Travels. “I think Slumdog Millionaire is certainly responsible for some of that interest. I also think enough people know that there is much, much more to India than the poverty depicted in the film, just as there is much more to Vancouver than the terrible things happening on the Lower East Side.”
One sure sign of India’s opulence is the rise in high-end hotels and spas in the country. Approximately $384 million (US) was made last year by the Indian spa industry, which includes more than 2,300 businesses. As interest in yoga, pilates and Ayurvedic health regimens increases, western tourists are drawn to the land where many of these practices originated. In addition, India boasts two of the top 15 hotels in the world, according to Travel + Leisure magazine.
“Some of the most refined accommodations on the planet are in that country,” says Syal, whose office is located in Richmond, British Columbia.
“India is a country with vast riches, both natural and manmade,” Syal, a native of Delhi, adds. “No one film, book, photograph or painting can capture it all. You can only do that by going there and seeing it for yourself – which is the reason why so many of us choose to travel.”
To learn more about the wide range of tours to India and other destinations offered by Indus Travels, visit its website at www.industravels.ca.
“Slumdog Millionaire”
