KATHMANDU, Dec 6: Soaltee Crowne Plaza and Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) have entered into a commercial agreement with the intention of engaging in mutually beneficial business activities for both the sides.
Sugat Ratna Kansakar, the managing director of Nepal Airlines and Upaul Majumdar, the general manager Soaltee Crowne Plaza signed the on behalf of their respective institutions on Tuesday.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Kansakar informed that NAC has now been focusing more on strategic shift which will now emphasis more on corporate business travelers and tourists rather than migrant workers. He informed that the national flag carrier was interested in entering into this agreement with Soaltee Crowne Plaza as it holds 12 percent shares in the hotel and also because Soaltee happens to be one of the oldest five-star luxury hotels in the country.
The agreement focuses on developing business opportunities for both the organizations including joint marketing promotions on key feeder markets like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and also Dubai.
"Right now Kathmandu happens to be the most expensive tourist destination in the whole of Asia," Kansakar said. With this mutually beneficial agreement, Kansakar expects a resultant increase in occupancy in both airlines and in hotel rooms which will eventually increase the gross revenue.
Likewise, Majumdar said that he wants to leverage the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which owns the Crowne Plaza network of hotels, by facilitating joint marketing at New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Dubai where IHG's Asia Middle East and Africa (AMEA) Regional Office is located.
Soaltee Crowne Plaza along with Nepal Airlines is planning to float attractive packages in India and Dubai in which the hotel will be focusing more towards MICE packages which includes Airlines, Conferences, Sight-seeing and Airport transfers. Last year, the hotel was more focused and inclined toward Free Individual Travelers.
The main objective of these packages for MICE is to increase the flow of tourist to Nepal in volumes, said Majumdar.
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