|
|
 |
Find A Hotel
Select a Location
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Press Release - The Chardham Camps
Leisure Hotels launch eco-friendly Luxury Camps 2005 at the
Chardhams
Leisure Hotels Limited, a major player in
Uttarakhand's tourism and hotels sector, have launched "The
Chardham Camps 2005" creating the concept of
first-of-its-kind eco-friendly, luxury-tented accommodation as
the base camps for Char Dhams of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath
and Kedarnath. This year, Leisure Hotels is also offering a
special package to include the picturesque Valley Of
Flowers (approx. 45 kilometers from Joshimath, the base
camp for Badrinath) in their itinerary to Char Dham for those
who wish to combine the adventure of trekking with the solace of
spiritualism.
It was in the early 20th Century that Sahu Lalit Prasad and
Sahu Hari Prasad, great-grandfathers of the present promoters of
Leisure Hotels, envisioned providing accommodation to travelers
wishing to pay tribute to the Abode of the Gods. With this
objective in view, they built a number of Dharamshalas (public
lodgings) at holy places of Hindu pilgrimage in the Himalayas. A
Dharamshala was built in Gangnagri (Gangotri) in the year 1900.
Another one was built at Khairsali (Yamunotri) in the year 1905.
Haridwar was another place that they liked immensely and
visited every year. They also built some more Dharamshalas
between the years 1906 - 1908 in Kathgodam (near Nainital) and
another at Karanprayag (en-route to the Chardhams). To pay
tribute to this vision, the present management decided to fund
creativity in infrastructure with the opening of a 'heritage
haveli', the "Haveli Hari Ganga" in Haridwar and the
camps at the Chardhams. It was such thought that inspired the
team at Leisure Hotels to capitalize on their enormous regard
for the welfare of the pilgrims with the launch of "The
Chardham Camps".
Millions of pilgrims flock to this eco-sensitive region of
Garhwal in large numbers to offer prayers at the Holy Shrines
(Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri & Yamunotri) for four months
starting April until mid November every year. The Chardham
Camps, conceptualised by Leisure Hotels, are the first of its
kind branded accommodation available in this circuit. Foreseeing
even a further rise in tourism in this sector, Leisure Hotels
has concentrated on providing unmatched hospitality and service
at their camps. By providing quality accommodation and
consistent F&B standards, Leisure Hotels has been able to
cater to a wide audience comprising of domestic &
international travelers. With Leisure Hotels' Chardham Camps
that offers luxuries like spacious weather proof tents, attached
baths and toilets with running hot & cold water, multi
cuisine dining facilities, guided visits to the shrines, first
aid at camps, ayurvedic massages and more, one has the
opportunity to explore the four most sacred shrines of Hindu
Mythology, for the ultimate experience in spiritualism. In
addition, to cater to the needs of increasing number of pilgrims
from Gujarat- Maharashtra sector, trained Gujarati chefs have
been specially flown to the camps to provide a variety of
multi-cuisine dishes. A doctor on call is a new addition in the
camps to provide immediate attention.
As if to make up for the hinderances in the form of frequent
landslides which follow the rains, the chardhams this year has
seen a surge of pilgrims in the first month itself with as many
as 10 lakh devotees already making a beeline for the four
shrines. From the start of the yatra on May 11 last Badrinath
and Kedarnath shrines have already seen a traffic over 8.5 lakh
pilgrims which is a record of sort. Last year during the same
period just about two lakh pilgrims had visited the two shrines.
The offerings at the two shrines, has also seen a huge jump to
Rs 1.5 crore in the first month.
The popularity of the Char Dham sector in domestic tourism can
be gauged from the following table which lists the increase in
number of people that traveled to the Char Dhams in 2003 and
2004 showing a 20 % increase.
| Dham |
No. of Visitors*(2003) |
(2004) |
| Badrinath |
5,80,943 |
7,00,000 |
| Kedarnath |
2,34,497 |
3,00,000 |
| Gangotri |
1,39,934 |
1,75,000 |
| Yamunotri |
78,050 |
95,000 |
*Source: Uttarakhand Tourism
The package cost for the Char Dhams (exclusive of Valley of
Flowers) per person on twin sharing basis per night is Rs. 1,600
that includes accommodation and meals while the package for Char
Dhams (inclusive of Valley of Flowers ) is Rs. 9,600 for 6
nights per person.
Leisure Hotels is a dominant player in
Uttarakhand's tourism and hotel sector with its portfolio of
resorts & luxury camps that incorporate more than TEN
properties in the state's tourist & scenic destinations,
offering more than 300 rooms in the leisure & spiritual
segment. Since the time of its first venture at Nainital - The
Naini Retreat in September 1989, Leisure Hotels has had the
opportunity to serve the largest number of tourists at much
sought after locations i.e. Nainital, Corbett National Park,
Manali, Haridwar, Rishikesh & Ramgarh.
These include "The Corbett Hideaway & The Corbett
River View Retreat" in Corbett National Park, "The
Camp 5 Elements & The Camp River Wilds" in Rishikesh
and "The Himalayan View Retreat" in Ramgargh. Leisure
Hotels opened its latest hotel, a Heritage Haveli, the Haveli
Hari Ganga on the banks of the Holy Ganges in Haridwar, in
India's spiritual capital.
Leisure Hotels is the only hotel chain
operating in the state with 15 years of hospitality experience.
As pioneers in the field of hospitality in Uttarakhand, Leisure
Hotels has been able to set standards & drive quality by
offering good facilities & services to its guests.
|
 |
|
|
