Indians will spend $410 billion on travel; we want to be part of this journey: Donavanik of Dusit International
India is one of the most important markets in Thailand. Mint Thursday.
“This is our second job in India and we want to get things right. Unfortunately, our earlier partnership didn’t work for us, we understand the importance of the market to us and want to re-enter the market for a significant impact,” he said.
The Thai multinational hotel company first came to India in 2013, and the Bird Group opened two hotels. However, the partnership ended about four years later in 2017. Now, it will focus on cities II and -III while still focusing on future growth for metro destinations.
Deepika Arora, a senior in the hospitality industry, will lead Dusit International’s India operations.
It owns eight brands worldwide, including luxury apartments. First, it plans to introduce its luxury and upper-middle brands in the country, one of the “high potential markets”. It has signed deals in areas such as Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Bhiwadi (Haryana), Lonavala (Maharashtra), Kolkata (West Bengal), Kasol and Manali (Himal Pradesh) and Karnataka.
India’s expansion bid
The extension will enable brands to increase their reach in different locations while maintaining standards and identity.
It will have about 3,000 rooms in the country over the next three years and have 30 contracts. It is expected that by then it will also have about 10-11 open hotels, with about two hotels planned to open each year.
The extension comes after the launch of Dusitd2 Fagu, Shimla in December 2024, and the signature of three Karnataka Properties, including the health-focused Devarana Sakleshpur.
Upcoming openings include four Dusit Princess Hotels in Raipur, Bhiwadi, Kolkata and Lonavala, as well as two boutique luxury Dusit Collection Properties from Kasol and Manali.
Dusit’s India push is aligned with its broader global expansion strategy. It will also expand to other high-growth markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan and China. It has about 10 hotels in China. Interestingly, in Thailand, the company has seen a drop in the number of Chinese tourists.
Future plans
While it is currently only looking to work with local hotel owners, Donavanik confirmed that it will invest in real estate in the future if the right opportunity arises.
He said: “Our long-term vision for the company is not only in India but anywhere else.
“The Indian market has grown exponentially. Indians are looking for experiential travel, including food and health. India’s spending on luxury and leisure has increased significantly since the last time we were here… Indians are expected to spend $410 billion on travel by 2030, and we hope to be part of that journey.”
Currently, India has about 200,000 branded hotel rooms, and this number is expected to reach 300,000 by 2030.
Dusit is one of five to six companies showing renewed interest in India. Mint Recently reported that the secondary hotels in Thailand, Kirzna of the UAE, the atmosphere and resorts of the Maldives and the Mandarin Oriental of Hong Kong are searching for locations in India, while other chains plan to debut brands in Accor, IHG and Hilton programs such as Manuscripts, Vignette Collection, Vignette Collection, Vignette Collection, Hampton and Countria in Countria in Countria.
Dusit’s locally listed entity in Thailand, Dusit Thani Public Co. Ltd reported total revenue for the full year was 11.2 billion baht (US$326.53 million), a year-on-year increase of 74.8% for the full year.
Its earnings on interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 91.4% to 1.65 billion baht. The company’s net loss also shrank to 237 million baht of 570 million sales in 2023.
Donawanik said Thailand’s focus on tourism also means that India has become one of the country’s top five inbound markets and is also the top market for Dusit.
The company has about 60 hotels in 19 countries and about 250 luxury villas, schools, food businesses and more in Thailand.
