Games on mind, Chandigarh offers food fest

In a bid to get a share of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) pie, the Union Territory of Chandigarh  is taking the food festival route. By offering heavy discounts on food and stay packages, the city is targeting both foreigners and Delhites who will virtually have a 15-day holiday due to the sporting event.
Gurvinder Juneja, president of hotel association, says, "We are expecting the CWG to boost our business by at least 35%. The Games will also bring lot of foreign tourists wanting to visit nearby places, and Chandigarh's good connectivity will be a plus point.''

"Not only this, many Delhi residents are also likely to head this way, with most government schools and other offices remaining closed during the games,'' he added.

As many as 25 hotel and restaurants from Chandigarh have already decided to participate in the food festival and have submitted their plan to the Chandigarh administration. Some of the hotels that will offer 15-20% discount on food are South End, Park Inn, KC residency, Orange35, Metro 35, Khyber and Aroma. Taj GVK is working on having one on the sports theme. The CITCO-run hotels, including Mountview, Shivalikview and Parkview, will also be part of this gastronomical bonanza.

Apart from food, hotels will also offer reduced room tariff for one or two-night stay. Chandigarh has a capacity of 850-900 rooms in the organised sector and double this number in the unorganised hospitality units.

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh administration has planned illumination of all markets to reflect a celebratory spirit. The hotel have decided on life-size Shera mascots to welcome guests.

To ensure that the visitors get a good first impression of the city, the Indian Institute of Hotel Management is holding a workshop for all cab and auto drivers on how to conduct themselves properly. Apart from helplines at international bus terminals in sectors 17 and 43, railway station and the airport, the administration's representatives would be on a duty 24x7 at all these places to guide tourists.

The CWG spirit is already visible, with the first quarter results of hospitality industry in the whole country showing an upward trend.