Tourism toppers: India marks a presence in the best of the decade

An 18th century pleasure palace built by a prince, made famous as a Bond girl’s nest in Octopussy (1983) and on a firm perch since as a fairytale heritage hotel. The iconic status of Taj Lake Palace on the hospitality map has just been reaffirmed, as it ranked second in the category of Asia’s most romantic hotels listed by online magazine Smart Travel Asia as part of its Best of the Decade Awards (2010-19).

The results of the awards — a departure from its annual best in travel poll held since 2005 and covering airlines, airports, destinations and hotels — were released on Monday. With the Covid-19 pandemic dealing a crushing blow to travel and tourism this year, Smart Travel Asia tabulated the reader poll results of the past 10 years for the Best of the Decade lists.

India bagged one top ranked award, with Rajasthan named as the best Asian heritage destination. Udaipur made it to the lists a second time, with the Oberoi Udaivilas ranked fourth among best wedding hotels. Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace was named the fifth best heritage hotel, while the Oberoi New Delhi also was fifth among best hotel makeovers (redo or rebranding).

The Samode Palace in Jaipur, meanwhile, was cited as one of the “happening hotels to watch with buzz, style, décor and service”.

The Oberoi, Delhi

India has been consistently popular, particularly with European and American travellers, but more recently there has been a pick-up in interest from Southeast Asia, the Far East (including Japan and South Korea) as well as China, says Vijay Verghese, editor, Smart Travel Asia.

Some of this is driven by the move away from pure beach holidays to areas of cultural and historic interest, he adds. “Thailand has woken up to its rich cultural connections with India, and the Buddhist circuit is another sleeping giant. Arrival airport chaos (though this is improving) and transport worries remain big concerns. Safety is another big issue and not just for women travellers.”

Destinations such as Bali, Bangkok and Hong Kong figured consistently in the awards. Verghese points out that unlike in several countries where transport is seamless from airport to city and on, in India travellers feel they have been pitchforked into unbelievable chaos as soon as they step outside the arrivals hall and try to get a taxi. “Frequent travellers say the focus should switch from the hardware (touting design and awards) to software (seamless service, quality of language, and courtesy).”

Rajasthan and Kerala have been favourites on Smart Asia Travel’s polls over the years for different reasons — Kerala for its ayurvedic spas and food and seaside escapes; Rajasthan for its palaces and history as well as proximity to Delhi.