RISING numbers of affluent travellers from the Middle East are travelling to Goa, and opting to stay in luxury hotels such as the Park Hyatt Goa, according to Andrew Mensforth, general manager, Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa.
“We have hosted increasing numbers of guests from the Gulf in recent years marking a shifting trend in the Middle East towards high-end travel preferences,” said Mensforth.
Aviation industry data show more airlines have launched frequent flights to Goa from the Middle East in the past five years, to cope with demand. In 2008, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) confirmed a surge in inbound air traffic from just half a dozen daily flights to over 40 a day.
The Park Hyatt Resort and Spa, set on 45 acres of lush beachfront gardens, is a 15 minute drive from Goa’s Dabolim Airport. Featuring a unique village concept with extensive spa facilities, the Park Hyatt combines the romance of a luxury boutique hotel while offering the amenities and vibrant attractions of a resort.
Goa, a Portuguese colony until 1962, is famous for its Indo-Portuguese culture and architecture. Goa’s beaches reflect its colourful medley of history and are the greatest attraction for vacationers wanting to enjoy bracing weather, a laid back atmosphere, warm sand and Indo-Portuguese hospitality.
The resort hotel is on Arossim Beach in South Goa and offers white sandy beaches, one of the largest water slides and pools in south west Asia, and activities including jet skiing, parasailing and dolphin cruises.
High end travellers and a growing number of women are also attracted to the hotel for its unique spa concepts and rejuvenating spa facilities.
One of the leading spa resorts in south west Asia, the Sereno Spa at the Park Hyatt Goa was awarded ‘World’s Number One Spa’ and ‘Best Spa in the Asian and Indian Subcontinent’ by Conde Nast Travellers Reader’s Spa Awards.
Spread over 36,000 sq ft, Sereno spa has been designed to offer holistic treatments with a blend of unique Ayurvedic and yogic tradition to restore and revitalise the body, mind, senses and the spirit. Sereno spa focuses on the health concept of Ayurveda.
“One of the reasons’s for the spa’s success is we understand our clientele needs and offer specially designed treatments by leading health and spa doctors to ensure guests enjoy the spa’s recuperative benefits,” said Mensforth.