Aahana Resort plans Uttarakhand expansion to tap growing luxury travel trend

Ramnagar (Uttarakhand), Apr 16 (PTI) Aahana Resort is looking to expand its presence in Uttarakhand to tap the tourism potential of the state and a rising trend of luxury travel with guests seeking personalised experiences, according to its top officials.

The resort, which has undergone a rebranding exercise, is reinforcing its positioning as a luxury born of the forest, deeply connected with nature and regenerative as it woos tourists visiting the Jim Corbett National Park.

"Definitely, but there are many other factors that decide expansion. We already have a successful model here, which is based on strictly following sustainable practices. The idea is to be able to replicate it when we expand," Aahana Resort Founder & Managing Partner Kamal Tripathi told PTI when asked if more resorts under the Aahana brand will come up in future.

Without sharing an exact timeline, he said the next property of Aahana Resort could come up in the next two to three years, depending on the availability of the right location.

"It will be only in Uttarakhand," Tripathi said, adding that the state and its people are made for tourism.

On the type of properties that Aahana is looking for, he said it "should be small ones with 15-20 rooms each offering more personalised and luxurious experience weaved together with sustainability".

Tripathi said a key consideration while adding new properties will be how to involve the locals and help in providing employment to address the challenges of workforce migration from Uttarakhand.

"There is high unemployment in the villages in the state, and tourism is helping in addressing the issue," he noted.

He said at the existing property about Rs 50 crore has been invested to develop the 70-room luxury boutique resort spread across 13.5 acres of land near the Jim Corbett National Park.

Commenting on the rebranding exercise, Aahana Resort Director and Chief Marketing Officer Avni Tripati said it was time for a fresh look after 13 years of growth with its deep connection to nature, especially after the resort introduced private pool villas, which served as a catalyst to evolve.

"The addition of private pool villas, an aspirational offering for Jim Corbett and North India, marks a new milestone in our luxury journey," she said. PTI RKL DR