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accommodation as they feel closer to
nature than in a brick construction.
On the environment front, tents can
withstand moderate dust and rainfall.
On the other hand, Pradeep Negi,
Owner, Kinnercamps has never had
any trouble with licenses and other
permissions as such. “We got our licenses
pretty easily having Himachal Pradesh’s
tourism friendly policies. The biggest
hurdle rather in tented accommodation
is the weather condition as an off-season
snowfall can damage our tents. Also,
sometimes locals create problems because
they feel tourists can cause security
problems in these remote villages where
thefts are unheard of.” This is an area
where the government has a role to
educate the locals.
Business dynamics
The Indian hospitality industry
contributes around 2.2 per cent of India’s
GDP. The industry is expected to reach
`230 billion (approx. US$ 5.2 billion) by
2015, growing at a robust CAGR of 12.2
per cent. India will be investing around
`448 billion (approx. US$ 10.1 billion)
in the hospitality industry in the next five
years, according to a report ‘The Indian
Hotel Industry Report - 2011 Edition’
by CYGNUS Business Consulting &
Research Firm. In the next two years,
a total investment of US$ 12.2 billion
(approx. `545.2 billion) is expected that
will add over 20 new international brands
in the hospitality sector. Referring to the
report, Mediratta says, “I feel that there
is an urgent need for more rooms and
more concept tourism to include large
and tented accommodation, since with
The best part is that tents can be erected
in minimum time and anywhere, provided
you fulfill all necessary requirements.
States like Rajasthan, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Haryana, down south to
northeast etc., have in fact indulged in
promoting this avenue of accommodation
its offbeat travel pitch it would play a
very important part in this scenario. The
tourism department demarcates areas
in different landscapes such as deserts,
riverbanks, forest reserves, etc., and
therefore it is one avenue that is going to
get bigger in the times to come.”
The business dynamics for tented
accommodations is growing. Negi says,
“To my knowledge Ladakh, Uttarakhand,
Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh
actively promote tented facilities. Any
natural environment near a water body is
an ideal spot for tented accommodation,
which should be explored far more.” He,
nonetheless, feels that the only deterrent
is the maintenance cost which is very
high. “Since tents can get easily damaged
in bad weather and also, seasonal
dismantling and putting it together back
again is a cost, the operational aspect
becomes tedious and an expensive affair.
A constant supervision is desired to make
sure that the water and electric supply is
fine to make the proposition profitable,”
he elaborates.
Rajasthan as a state offers an interesting
mix of hospitality products, and tents
have been quite successful there too.
To keep customers happy as they stay,
special attractions are created for them.
Bhanu Vikram Singh, Owner, Rajasthan
Royal Desert Camp says, “We mainly
organise fairs and festivals, cultural
activities like puppet show, Kalbeliya
dance, magic shows, etc. So, for a few
days of tourist traffic one needs to make
a lot of effort. And this can only be done
if a good number of advance booking has
been received, otherwise it could led to
revenue loss.” Similarly, Negi organises
campfires, treks, rock climbing, river
crossing and other activities to engage
travellers. There are no operational
hurdles as such in maintaining tents. All is
good, according to Singh, if one has good
number of advance bookings, trained
persons to assemble tents, set up proper
water and electric connection in tents.
Looking at the brighter side of these
accommodations, Mediratta says, “The
best part is that tents can be erected
in minimum time and anywhere,
provided you fulfill all necessary
requirements. States like Rajasthan,
p Kinner Camps
Pic: Ameya Gokaran