The surge in spiritual tourism can be attributed to enhanced infrastructure, including well-connected roads, airports, and public transportation, as well as the development of various accommodation options such as hotels, guesthouses, and wellness centres. To meet the growing demand for spiritual travel, local governments and businesses are joining forces to create unique retail experiences. This includes integrating local practices into the design and offerings of shops, restaurants, and hotels. Cities like Amritsar, Varanasi, Madurai, Puri, Guruvayur, etc. are leveraging their unique culinary traditions and local fashion expertise to further attract and engage visitors.

At the beginning of 2024, as the Indian real estate stakeholders (self-styled industry experts within the realty media landscape) are yet again influence peddling their bullish narrative, the reality check by Track2Realty clearly finds that the sales growth post-Covid has neither been broad based nor democratic. Real estate is yet again emerging as a parking lot of big money post the pandemic, as visible with the off-take of luxury & super luxury despite the stagnant job growth and wage growth.

The question is what needs to be done. Or in other words, how could real estate consume more out of ‘Make in India’ manufacturing? The question in itself is flawed, if not in sync with the larger eco system issues. Setting up and making a manufacturing unit in India comes with its own challenges. Cheap labour alone would not give India any edge or cost arbitrage over the export items. ‘Make in India’ has to move beyond the rhetoric of nationalism and reforms have to be introduced at each and every level, ranging from lower corporate tax to labour laws and making the country a happy hunting ground for the manufacturers of the world.

Absorption of office spaces increased to 13.40 Mn sq ft in Q1 2024 from 11.85 Mn sq ft in Q1 2023, showcasing a  13% increase Y-O-Y, says a Vestian report. However, the absorption declined by 31% this quarter after peaking in Q4 2023. Southern cities (Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad) accounted for 61% of the Pan-India absorption in Q1 2024 its share increased from 54% a year earlier.

Corporate governance & professionalism seem to be the emerging mantra of survival for Indian real estate. But the man who visualised the need for this decades back, maintains a low profile to not take any credit  as the first-mover of institutionalising Indian real estate. As the industry body CREDAI decorates Ravi Puravankara for the lifetime achievement, Ravi Sinha interviews him to understand what goaded this first-mover to adopt corporate governance.

The proposed project, namely Belicia, has been floated by Prescon Group (The real estate arm of Nitin Castings) and House of Hiranandani. ‘Belicia’ offers a range of apartments with configurations of 2, 3 & 4 BHK homes, featuring carpet areas ranging from 779 sq ft to 1546 sq ft, starting at INR 1.85 crore onwards. Each apartment is designed with marble flooring in the living, dining, and bedroom areas, complemented by large decks, ample natural light, ventilation, and select residences featuring foyer areas for enhanced privacy. The project boasts of providing residents with panoramic views of the city and the serene Yeoor Hills with the first habitable floor starting from the 7th level.