India – The Time Is Now

Indus Travels' Harish Shroff with
Samantha Steckbeck of The Oberoi Group

Samira Mostafavi of Imagine Holidays &
Pro Travel Toronto's Vanessa Reid

The Travel Network's Edyta Zaborska, Rhoda Salama & Borka Grabovac

The Travel Network's Svetlana Strohmeier & Sandie Corson

CAA South Central Ontario's
Meg Murgatroyd & Betty Palkovic

Jeniva Berger of Vision 2000 with
Donna Elkind of The Travel Network

Could there have been a better setting for an event on luxury travel to India than Toronto’s Cricket Skating & Curling Club? OK, India itself would have been pretty spectacular, but with floor to ceiling windows overlooking an ongoing cricket match, the Cricket Club was a close 2nd. 50 agents gathered there recently for a presentation dinner hosted by Indus Travels and luxury hotel partner The Oberoi Group.

With more than a billion people living in India, the country is changing rapidly. According to Samantha Steckbeck, The Oberoi Group’s V.P. of Leisure Sales for The Americas, it’s becoming more-and-more westernized. Travelling to India now will be very different than travelling 5 years from now. “I think it’s a great time to travel to India because it is the pinnacle of real travel experiences,” said Steckbeck. “The Baby Boomer who has been to Egypt, who has been to Southeast Asia, who’s had superlative experiences - there’s nothing quite like India. The most important thing is that you understand what that luxury client is looking for and that India offers curated experiences in every way.”

As for these curated experiences, Harish Shroff, Indus Travels’ BDM for Eastern Canada, walked guests through their many packages to India. One product to note is the 15 day Maharaja Tour, which according to Shroff, gives visitors the best overview of the destination. Accommodation for 11 of the 14 nights on this tour are at an Oberoi Hotel. At every Oberoi property, each room offers butler service and women travelling alone have the option of a female butler. Gratuities are included and the icing on the cake? At The Oberoi AmarvilÄs in Agra, which is one of the stops on the Maharaja Tour, every room has an undisturbed view of the legendary Taj Mahal. Now isn’t that magical?

Private yoga lessons? High tea with the Maharaja? Dinner inside the palace in Jaipur? A Chai Masala tea party while you try on millions of dollars of gems at the Gem Palace? As Steckbeck put it, “The possibilities are endless.”