Newstrack

Mahindra Holidays plans to go global

Preeti Kannan - Chennai

Mahindra Holidays and Resorts, part of the Rs 13595 crore Mahindra Group is all set to take its family holidays overseas, with an aim to offer its members an international holiday experience in a 'Club Mahindra’ resort. Ramesh Ramanathan, managing director, Club Mahindra Holidays' said, "We are initially looking at setting up a boutique resort of about 60 rooms with an investment of approximately 30 crore in neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Mauritius. Talks are on and we will zero in any one of these countries soon."

This is the first time Club Mahindra is foraying overseas, though it has already bought a few inventories in Bangkok and Pattaya. Sri Lanka was also seen as a strong contender but was dropped considering the ethnic strife in the country.

In the coming years, the company is also looking at setting 12 more family holiday resorts in India, namely in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala with an investment of about Rs 350 crore. "We are also seriously looking at East India", added Ramanathan.

He conceded that Mahindra was toying with the idea of moving ahead with their traditional time share mode of operations to enter into the hotel business and are also exploring opportunities for setting up new hotels. "It is too premature to say what we would like to do, but we do have plans to look outside family holidays as we already have the expertise and the knowledge," he said.