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Kumbh Mela tourism turns trendy, courts celebrities - Yahoo! India News
- The Kumbh Mela is no longer just about ash-smeared sadhus, saffron-clad cult-leaders and millions of rural devotees seeking salvation in a holy dip. Next year, the event at Haridwar will parallel the Commonwealth Games in Delhi as a trendy tourist attraction. With fancy facilities and name-droppable A-list celebrities coming on stealthy visits, the old festival has had a modern makeover. Tour operators are planning big to earn valuable dollars and lift the industry from the 26/11 attacks last year in Mumbai and the economic downturn that followed.
- On offer will be luxury camps housed in all-weather tents, Swiss cottages with Western-style toilets, hot and cold water, multi cuisine menus and first aid facilities. "The idea is to give our guests a glimpse of the local culture in a setting which is comfortable for them", said Bibhas Prasad, director, Leisure Hotels Pvt. Ltd., who in association with global operator Cox and Kings is setting up 100 camps on the banks of river Ganga for the entire duration of the Kumbh Mela from January to April.
- Hollywood celebrities and business tycoons are expected to descend at the Mahakumbh.
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Kumbh Mela tourism turns trendy, courts celebrities
