Tour Guide: Tea Tourism
ByJeannette Kimmel
November 19, 2008
2 min readIndia tourism officials have recently launched a new branch of tourism in hopes of drawing British visitors to their country. The Times reports that India wants to raise its number of British arrivals from some 800,000 to over one million visitors in the next two years, and in order to do so, they’re luring Brits with their favorite brew: tea.
India is the largest producer of tea, contributing over 30% of the world’s tea at more than 500 plantations around the country. Many plantations have developed accommodations–from simple cottages to five-star resorts–for guests. Nathmull’s Tea in Darjeeling (one of the oldest companies in the region and producing, of course, Darjeeling tea) provides a number of suites for tea enthusiasts for as little as $200 (10,000 Rs) for two per night, including transportation from local airports, all meals, nature walks, tours of the plantation, and, naturally, all the tea you can drink.
Close by, the Glenburn Tea Estate provides similar all-inclusive accommodation for some $400 for two people per night. Those seeking a more intimate experience in India should check out Mahindra Homestays, which organizes trips to smaller B&B-type stays, including places in Kerala from about $75 per night.
Photo: Sadaloha via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool
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