India, one of the most inimitable, incomparable travel destinations in the world, has been ranked No. 5 among the top 10 world destinations by some of the most sophisticated and avid travellers. The prestigious magazine 'Conde Nast Traveller UK', represented by Mediascope Publicitas in India, announced the Annual Readers' Travel Awards 2005 in the current issue, which hit the stands this week.
Renuka Choudhary, Minister of State for Tourism, said, "India is the fastest growing tourism destination. Conde Nast’s recognition confirms India’s growing stature."
"This will provide further fillip to Indian tourism," adds A K Mishra, secretary, Tourism, Government of India.
Speaking on India’s success, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Amitabh Kant, said, "Opening of Indian skies and the Incredible India campaign have positioned India. In a short while, India will emerge as the world’s No 1 destination."
India had other significant successes too. Ananda Spa, Ananda in the Himalayas, was ranked No.1 in the 'Overseas Destination Spas' category. In the Overseas Leisure Hotels category in Asia & the Indian subcontinent the Oberoi Group had two entries - The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, ranked No 1 and The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Ranthambore, a new entrant, came in at No. 9.
And, in the overall list of 10 of the 'Best of the Best', Ananda Spa ranked No. 2 and the Rajvilas, No. 7.
Sarah Miller, editor, Conde Nast Traveller UK, said, "I'm thrilled that India has done so well in Conde Nast Traveller's Readers' Travel Awards. It proves India's increasing popularity as a destination. And in addition to all the riches the country has to offer, several of its hotels have performed strongly as well indicating that India is increasingly important to the discerning luxury
traveller."
Kate Slesinger, publisher, Conde Nast Traveller UK, added, "I couldn't be more delighted to see India move up by one place to 5th favourite holiday destination for Conde Nast Traveller readers in this year's Readers' Travel Awards poll. India's success story is gathering momentum, thanks to the combined efforts of the Indian Tourism Board and the support of individual states. With Conde Nast Traveller's circulation at an all-time high, India has been wise to focus its marketing programme on this very influential sector of the British travelling public. We look forward to an even better performance in next year's awards."
Ashutosh Khanna, chief operating officer, Grey Worldwide, the agency behind the Incredible India campaign, added, "We are absolutely delighted to be part of the team in making Brand India more desirable to audiences globally. Coming on the heels of the Incredible India campaign’s gold award at the PATA awards, the ratification from Conde Nast is very satisfying. I would like to congratulate everyone at the Ministry of Tourism and thank them for allowing us to be their partner."
The Conde Nast Traveller Readers' Travel Awards, now in their eighth year, have earned a reputation for being the most prestigious in Britain, since they are based on the readers' nominations based on a list of criteria. Unlike other publications, Conde Nast Traveller does not provide a short-list of potential winners.
The rankings in these awards are an index of satisfaction with travel facilities and services, scored out of a maximum of 100. In the Readers' Travel Awards questionnaire, readers were asked to choose the best that the travel world has to offer - everything from hotels and spas to airlines and airports.
The survey was done via a survey booklet that was part of the May issue of the magazine. Readers were then asked to rate their choices according to various criteria, such as service and value for money. From these responses, the average mark on each criterion was calculated and used to provide the overall satisfaction percentage figure that is in the league tables and The World's Top 100.
In the May issue, readers were asked for nominations for the world's best hotels, spas, islands, airlines, cities, airports, countries, cruise lines and tour operators, and then asked to rate them according to a list of criteria. To discern their list of the best of the best, each nomination was ranked to produce the world's Top 100. Each reader's nominations are collated by an independent market research company.
Conde Nast Traveller is the definitive guide to the most important places around the globe for the affluent UK globetrotters. From hotels, restaurants and ‘it’ cities, to jet-set fashion, adventure, nightlife and more, Conde Nast Traveller has a circulation of 83,305 and is read by 335,000 discerning, intelligent and high-spending men and women. It is the winner of the British Society of Magazine Editors ‘Lifestyle Magazine of the Year’ (2000, 2001 and 2003) and has recently won the PPA Consumer Lifestyle Magazine of the Year 2005. It is recognised as a unique magazine and the UK’s only dedicated monthly travel glossy.
India favoured as travel destination
