Marriott bullish on India expansion plans, bets on spiritual tourism

New Delhi: Hospitality chain Marriott International remains bullish on its expansion in India, with a pipeline of 200 hotels and an aggressive opening strategy, even as global travel flows face near-term disruptions due to the West Asia crisis.

Kiran Andicott, Senior Vice President for South Asia at Marriott International, underscored the company's long-term commitment to the Indian market.

"We have got a pipeline of 200 hotels as of today, and on average, like last year, we ended up opening around 50 hotels," he told PTI.


However, Andicott acknowledged short-term challenges affecting international travel flows due to the West Asia crisis. "There is a little bit of a dip depending on which city you're looking at and your market segment, because a lot of international travel used to transit through the Middle East. That is impacted," he said.

Despite these near-term headwinds, Marriott does not foresee any lasting impact on its expansion plans.

"From a development and growth perspective, I don't see any long-term impact of the crisis. Hopefully, it will wind down soon. If it doesn't, then of course it's a problem for the entire world, not just India," Andicott shared.

Looking ahead, the company is placing strategic emphasis on emerging travel segments, particularly spiritual tourism, which Andicott described as "underserved and largely unexplored."

"We just opened a hotel in Tirupati. We've got a hotel in Katra, and properties coming up in Ayodhya and Vrindavan," he said.