Royal India Luxury Show in Dubai attracts UAE's affluent

Annual show features 22 exhibitors from India
Arab visitors to India expected to rise with new e-Visa facility
UAE-India bilateral trade accounts for US$75 billion

Dubai, December 6, 2014: The second edition of Royal India Luxury Show got underway in Dubai on Thursday, December 4. His Highness Yuvraj Sambhaji Chhatrapati Maharaj, scion of the Kolhapur royal family, His Highness Maharaj Kumar Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar and Indian Ambassador to the UAE - His Excellency T.P. Seetharam, opened the event. The ceremony was also attended by diplomats, corporate tycoons, celebrities and other distinguished guests from India and the UAE.

Supported by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in association with Cox & Kings, the luxury show focused on showcasing the luxury aspects of India with the participation of 22 hand-picked Indian exhibitors representing travel, hospitality, leisure, luxury homes, fashion, weddings, jewellery and entertainment.
Organized at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the 22,000 square feet exhibition venue has been designed in a way that allow exhibitors to reach out to visitors in a more relaxed and friendly environment.

His Highness Yuvraj Sambhaji Chhatrapati Maharaj, said: “I hope Royal India Luxury Show will fulfill the aspirations of the affluent living in the Middle East and expectations about the luxury and class out of India. I hope it will create an insight into the splendid Indian lifestyle and luxury travel options for the affluent. This event will enhance the luxury tourism in India at a global marketplace and the Middle East, especially the UAE. Royal India Luxury Show aims to project India’s exquisite luxury offering in a unique way”.

After the inauguration the royal said that he was impressed with the showcasing at the event. He added: “Globuzz has done a wonderful job for organizing this show showcasing luxury that gives a feel of India. The country has so much variety, history and culture that the entire world could be fitted into one India. I would like to tell Indians in the UAE to be brand ambassadors for the country”.

The Indian Ambassador, T.P. Seetharam said: “The Arab world constitutes an integral part of India’s extended neighbourhood and is a region of critical importance in political, strategic, security and economic terms. I believe such a show endorses our vision to showcase India as a world-class platform in areas of tourism, travel, hospitality, luxury properties, fashion, jewellery, leisure, wedding, etc. There is a great scope for promoting Indian luxury portfolio in the Arab region through the UAE market.”

He added: “Royal India Luxury Show, we hope will create a conducive environment that further enhances the luxury offerings from India at a global marketplace. The decision of the Government of India to relax visa rules for nationals of various countries, including the UAE, is expected to give a boost to the number of visitors to India, and luxury is one of the domains that will benefit from the new decision.”

His Highness Yuvraj Sambhaji Chhatrapati Maharaj, His Highness Maharaj Kumar Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar and Indian Ambassador, T.P. Seetharam, diplomats, dignitaries and other guests toured the exhibition and enquired from exhibitors about their approach and strategy in reaching out to the Arab world and the portfolio of their products and services.

His Highness Maharaj Kumar Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar said “It is a great amalgamation between Rajasthan and Dubai. Dubai signifies luxury and is great to see such a show being held here. We look forward for such events. Udaipur has a lot of bespoke luxury to showcase. We really have a lot of things people from the UAE can look forward to- we have places for special occasions, events, private moments, family moments. It really depends from one range to the other. Only when visitors come to Udaipur will they be able to experience true luxury of the place”.

I.R.V.Rao, Assistant Director at the India Tourism Office, Dubai said earlier ahead of the event: “Royal India showcases the luxury tourism products of India and it helps to imbibe the grandeur and greatness of heritage, luxury hotels, trains and wellness in the minds of affluent Emiratis and Arabs in the region. The launch of Tourist Visa on Arrival (e-Visa) facility is expected to double the tourist traffic from UAE to India in 2015.” The India Tourism Office has been promoting India in the Middle East region over the past 30 years.

He said the UAE-India bilateral trade accounts for US$75 billion and the UAE offers immense growth opportunities for the Indian luxury market.

As quoted by Gayathri Elayath Bhardwaj, Founder and Director of Globuzz: “Based on the results and expectations of last year’s show, Royal India Luxury Show-2014 has been fine-tuned and given a more result-oriented approach in engaging a premium, unique group in a people-to-people format”.

The exhibitors include Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; Cox & Kings; Ramoji Film City; Air Aura; MEHAIR; Sansha; Woodland; Anantham by EMGEE Group; Jaypee Green Golf Course & Spa Resort; Six Senses Spa; UAE Exchange; PNG Jewellers; Sobha Developers; Rocky Star; Archana Kochhar, Neeta Lulla, Monapali, Rohit Verma, HRH Group of Hotels, Reve by Khushali Kumar and Satya Paul.

The show provided glimpses of India’s royalty to visitors from various nationalities with the Maharajas gracing the inaugural ceremony in royal attire.

Pune-based PNG, India’s oldest jewellers (1832), which has among its vast customer base kings, film actors and business tycoons, is showcasing an impressive portfolio of jewellery - the masterpiece Royalty Collection inspired by Maratha kings and queens. The jeweler is due to open a Dubai branch in early 2015, their second venture overseas after California in the USA.

Ramoji Film City (RFC) is the world’s largest integrated film city and India’s only thematic-holiday destination. Located on a 2,000-acre site in Hyderabad it attracts 1.5 million tourists annually showcasing its portfolio of entertainment packages, theme-based weddings and MICE opportunities to the Arab markets.
Cox & Kings, unveiled their luxury outdoor tents, weddings and Deccan Odyssey luxury train packages. Cox & Kings had recently signed a 10-year MoU with Maharashtra Tourism to market and promote Deccan Odyssey.

Another exhibitor, Sansha, offered a taste of luxury spa experience at the venue and highlighted it Maharani Precious Gemstone Therapy package at the exhibition.

The other exhibitors included Jaypee Golf, the largest Golf, Hotel & Residences in India, and Anantham by EMGEE which showcased luxury lifestyle in Goa. Woodland launched its luxury footwear collection.

Dubai commands 30 percent of the Middle East’s, and 60 percent of the UAE’s luxury market. The UAE tops the list of tourists coming from Middle East countries to India, with a steady year-on-year increase.

According to the recent VISA Affluent Study 2013, Emiratis belonging to the affluent socio-economic class give equal priority to dining out, leisure and expenditure on family holidays.

The study revealed that the UAE was ranked fifth among the surveyed countries in terms of individual plans for future discretionary spending on holidays. Concerning family holiday trips, over 90 percent of Emiratis took an overseas holiday in the previous year and plan to travel again in the coming year.