Title - Golden Chariot marks 100th trip

The Golden Chariot marked its 100th trip with the November 12-19 journey covering Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala. The trip is a major milestone for the Golden Chariot and Karnataka Tourism as this prestigious project has been able to successfully establish a world class tourism infrastructure project from Karnataka and also bring out the real potential of the state and South India. The 100th trip carried 86 of the 88 possible passengers making it a near 100 per cent sell-out with all the cabins fully booked by foreign as well as domestic tourists. The Golden Chariot has been recording a steady increase in occupancy levels in the last four years. From 22 per cent in its first year of operation, the last season saw the luxury train manage nearly 40 per cent occupancy despite several trips getting cancelled. Also, the Golden Chariot has been the only luxury train among five others in India to record an increase in occupancy, said a press release. The Great Rail Journeys, a UK-based luxury tour operator, has confirmed group bookings from January, 2013, for six trips with 35-40 passengers. Also, right to the end of the current season, nearly 50 per cent seats have already been booked. Several international schools, universities and corporates, both domestic and foreign, are also looking for group bookings on the Golden Chariot. A wedding, potentially the first on board a luxury tourist train, is also being planned for 2013-14.

 KSTDC MD Dyavaiah said, “Add to all these positive vibes, the Indian Railways have also taken a huge step favouring the Golden Chariot by agreeing to slash the haulage fee (one of the biggest costs of operation) for a period of three years,” adding, “This, along with expected increase in occupancy levels, is expected to see the Golden Chariot break even and possibly start making profits by end of 2013-14 or early 2014-15.”