DRNew Delhi: All good things come in threes, and the combination of Bollywood, comedy and Tourism Awards led by Taiwan Tourism ensured the Capital had a splendid evening which couldn’t even be dampened by a passing shower. VETA (Versatile Excellence Travel Awards), now in its third edition, partnered by Taiwan Tourism were held in the Capital mid-week and brought together the best of the best when it comes to the travel and tourism trade on a crisp wintry night in the lawns of The Imperial, New Delhi.
Key guests lending both glamour and fun to the evening included Bollywood star couple Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi; Television star Rohit Roy; Comedian Sunil Grover, who could be seen playing multiple avatars; Actor-Host Sophie Choudry; Ambassador Tien Chung Kwang, Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre; Priyanka Nijhawan of the Nijhawan Group and Diplomats from the Embassy of Czech Republic
As guests spilled on to the lawns and sipped on wine and whisky, a food truck awaited, with delicacies like dim sums and egg rolls, perfect to beat the cold. Varun Malhotra, CEO and Publisher of TravelScapes and organizer of the evening was seen chatting with Dr. Lin Trust, Director, Taiwan Tourism Bureau, and Taiwan’s Representative to India, Tien Chung Kwang, from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre.
“This is our second time collaborating with VETA – the first was in Dubai, and now in Delhi and we hope that through such collaborations, we can create an interest in Taiwan resulting in 20% growth in tourism from India. We have 260 mountains that are higher than 3,000 metres, so it’s a mountain climbing paradise – fresh air and beautiful mountain resorts await the Indian visitor.”
Dr Trust, Director, Taiwan Tourism Bureau
As the awards began, former MTV VJ and Bollywood actor Sophie Choudry introduced VETA, TravelScapes and Taiwan with a short, scenic film on Taiwan that highlighted its natural, mountainous terrain. The VETA then rolled into gear, with Dream Cruises picking up two awards, Jalesh Cruises winning the award for India’s fastest growing cruise line, Fortune Hotels picking up the award for best business hotel chain, and the heritage hospitality award going to the Welcome Heritage Hotels, and many more. Also felicitated were Priyanka Nijhawan from the Nijhawan Group as woman entrepreneur of the year and Jyoti Mayal of the Travel Agent Association of India. As the awards kept coming, comedy sketches by actor Sunil Grover, aka Rinku Devi and Dr Mashoor Gulati, kept the audience in splits. Spotted at VETA were Subhash Goyal, Chairman of the STIC travel group, and diplomats from the Czech Republic, who collected an award for their country. Not even a rain shower towards the end of the show, could dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd.
