‘Our Aim is to make Mercure Goa Devaaya Retreat Preferred Healing Destination of India by 2020’

SITUATED ON the serene Divar Island in Goa, Mercure Goa Devaaya retreat provides a holistic treatment route through Ayurveda, Naturopathy and Yoga under one roof and follows integrated alternative medical treatment. It offers 57 AC rooms with modern amenities in Portuguese style along with exclusive 28 luxurious therapy rooms, large Yoga Pavilion, Hydrotherapy rooms, Mud bath areas, Swimming Pool, Jogging track and four diet centers serving pure vegetarian diet. 

In an exclusive interaction with BW Hotelier, Sanjay Pagi, General Manager of Mercure Goa Devaaya Retreat talks about the market for Ayurveda and Wellness resorts in Goa. He also sheds light on the green-initiatives undertaken by the resort.

On a general note, considering Goa is teeming with hotels and resorts, what are the main challenges you face? 

Goa has always been a first-choice destination for most tourists due to the welcoming and professional approach towards tourism from the community. In my opinion, Goa has different types of hotel/resort to fit the needs of different types of travellers. The competition is more from beach destinations outside like Southeast Asia. In spite of the challenges, Goa continues to exhibit growth revenue in every fiscal.

What does the year 2020 look like for Mercure Goa Devaaya Retreat?

We are a fusion of authentic Ayurvedic treatments and limitless hospitality of Accor hotels. In the very first year of our collaboration, we have made a positive impression in the domestic and international market in alternative medicine for healing and tranquility. In the year 2020, our aim is to make Mercure Goa Devaaya Retreat the most preferred healing destination of India.

Currently, we are already popular in the European market, especially Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Austria and the United Kingdom. We strongly believe in ‘word-of-mouth’ as a marketing tool. We are already present on all social and digital platforms, this year our focus is to further build our online presence and thus be more accessible to our target audience. A lot of our marketing initiatives will depend on the state of the industry post-COVID-19.  

What green initiatives have you undertaken to make Mercure Goa more environment-friendly?

Creating a sustainable society is a challenge that has to be addressed from many perspectives. Mercure Goa Devaaya retreat is committed to developing and maintaining an environment that fosters sustainability. The aim is to create a green community that contributes to environmental and social benefits.

Our ‘Planet 21 Accor Sustainable Development’ program covers all of Accor’s environmental and social initiatives.

We actively work with the local community and enable them — we encourage organic farming and provide a market for the organic local produce. This has helped us cement strong relationships with the local communities as well as enhance our brand presence.

Furthermore, we do regular facility maintenance; and monitor energy, water, and electricity consumption among other aspects to ensure that there is no wastage of resources. Additionally, we engage in a diverse set of sustainability-related activities such as Conservation and reforestation, organic farming, deployment of eco-friendly technologies, reusing waste papers for internal records, and hygiene and sanitization campaigns (e.g., Swatch Bharat campaign). We also undertake specific initiatives to commemorate World Environment Day/ World Earth Day, etc. 

What is the market for Ayurveda and wellness resorts in Goa today?

With a hectic lifestyle and work schedule, travellers across the world are leaning towards, wellness and rejuvenation. While, Goa does cater to an assortment of travellers (leisure, family vacation, heritage tours, MICE, destination weddings, concerts or international events, etc.), wellness seems be slowly gaining market share and interesting opportunities are opening up in the market.

Mercure Goa Devaaya Retreat is the first holistic centre of alternate medicine, practicing healing method through Ayurveda Yoga and Naturopathy in Goa under the aegis of Alcon Victor Resort Holdings Pvt. Ltd. The latter is a pioneer in the hospitality and healthcare sectors in Goa. Alcon Resort Holdings Pvt. Ltd owns and operates – Novotel Dona Sylvia Cavelossim and Mercure Goa Devaaya Retreat—Divar Island, and Radisson Blu Cavelossim, Radisson Goa Candolim, Viva Hotel Margao and Victor Super Specialty Hospital in Margao.

As far as market share is concerned, there are many hotels and resorts offering basic spa treatments, yoga and meditation services. However, if we are talking about end-to-end rejuvenation — Mercure Goa is the only one in the category to offer authentic treatments via holistic Ayurveda, Yoga, a Sattvik Diet and Naturopathy in a serene environment.

The global wellness economy is $4.2 trillion strong, and India has the ability to play a rather large role in this economy because of its deep-rooted connections to wellness and healing. This makes India a strong player in the market and places us in a great place to leverage the wellness market share in India.