Kolkata, April 5: EmaarMGF Land Ltd, one of India’s leading real estate developers, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (WBTDCL) and Sunderbans Infrastructure Development Corp (SIDC) to collectively work for tourism development in the state. The MoU was signed in Kolkata on Saturday by Mr Sanjiv Rai, COO (Hospitality) of EmaarMGF, Mr TVN Rao, MD of WBTDCL and Sridhar K. Ghosh, MD of SIDC in the presence of Manabendra Mukherjee, West Bengal’s minister in charge of Textile and Tourism and Mr Bijoy Chatterjee, Addl Chief Secretary, Department of Tourism.

As part of the MoU, EmaarMGF in partnership with WBTDCL and SIDC, will work towards significantly expanding West Bengal’s tourism portfolio and take up further development of existing tourist destinations including Sunderbans. The primary focus under the agreement will be the hospitality industry – particularly the budget segment and theme tourism.

Elaborating on the agreement, Mr Sanjiv Rai, COO (Hospitality) of EmaarMGF, said, “Tourism is one of the sectors with significant potential and the opportunity here in West Bengal is immense. Being one of the pioneers in the country in the fields of arts, culture, literature and heritage, West Bengal ranks high amongst tourists. Emaar MGF is committed to help the state leverage its tourism potential through strengthening its hospitality infrastructure. The company’s focus on hospitality aligns with the government vision to position Bengal as a Gateway to the East for inbound as well as outbound tourists and travellers. This will catalyse the development of the state’s economy and provide an impetus to generate additional revenue opportunities. We are delighted with this association and thank WBTDCL and SIDC for partnering with us.”

Mr TVN Rao, MD of WBTDCL, commented, “West Bengal enjoys a unique geographical advantage due to its dynamic topography and is in sync with the State’s goal of emerging as the foremost tourist destination in the country. Our partnership with leading real estate developer EmaarMGF will provide adequate thrust to the development of tourism in the State spanning theme tourism, tea tourism, eco tourism, medical tourism and adventure tourism.”

With operations across India in retail, commercial, hospitality and residential, West Bengal is one of the important geographies for EmaarMGF. The company is developing three hotels in the luxury segment in Kolkata — JW Marriott and Holiday Inn on the EM Bypass involving an investment of Rs 750 crores and Park Hyatt at Russell Street, an investment of Rs 550 crores as well along with a mixed-use development on the Kona Expressway.

Emaar MGF, a joint venture between Emaar Properties PJSC, Dubai – one of the world's leading real estate company and MGF Developments Ltd., India – is one of India's leading real estate developers. The company has been instrumental in bringing the largest FDI in the Indian real estate sector.

Headquartered in New Delhi, the company started operations in India in mid-2005 and is engaged in pan India projects across Residential, Hospitality, Retail, Commercial & Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and IT parks. It has further identified new areas of growth in Education, Healthcare and Infrastructure sectors.

As a real estate company, Emaar MGF aims to make a real and positive impact on the lives of the people bringing in outstanding quality realty developments. The company has a presence across 26 cities in the country and is driven by its mission to develop and deliver unique integrated lifestyle and work place environments and planned developments and to be recognized as a responsible corporate citizen and an employer of choice. Emaar MGF has plans to construct master planned developments including residential, retail and hospitality properties to provide fully integrated self contained communities and stand alone communities.

The company has strategic tie ups with global players like Turner, Leighton and Multiplex for project management and construction services. It has also entered into partnerships with international hospitality majors like Accor and Premier Inn for budget and limited services category properties, Marriott, Hyatt and Intercontinental  and Four Seasons for the upmarket and luxury category. Emaar MGF's association with Hamptons Group Limited, a global property sales, management and development services company, also helps the company leverage its sales and marketing expertise for Emaar MGF properties.