The Hindu Business Line : Bengaluru Airport unveils month-long shopping festival

With a typical grand Hoysala architecture for a setting, Bengaluru International Airport on Friday launched a month-long shopping extravaganza, the first by an Indian airport.

Airport operator BIAL said it has roped in Karnataka Tourism and Jet Airways as the main sponsors of the event.

The festival targets air travellers passing through BIA as well as visitors from the city and those travelling along the Hyderabad route, NH7, that edges the airport, a BIAL release said.

Air travellers have a host of discounts and promotions around airport shopping and F&B. For a minimum shopping bill of Rs 300, they get included in weekly lucky draws with prizes of a free international return ticket by Jet Airways or trips on the Golden Chariot around Karnataka. Additionally, Karnataka Tourism will collectively sponsor daily and weekly prizes.

BIAL’s CEO, Mr Marcel Hungerbuehler, said, “Airports around the world have evolved and they are seen to be much more than just travel facilitators. Our intention is to play a significant role in the economic development of the city and the State by becoming a gateway to the South of India. Through this shopping festival and the associated partnerships, we will propagate Karnataka’s cultural vibrancy and the various tourist destinations within it.”

The nearly year-old airport, according to him, has become a popular get-away for friends and families of passengers and for motorists travelling to the Nandi hills nearby. Families also bring children to just watch aircraft land or take off. Outside the terminal building, BIAL has put up a replica of a carriage of the luxury train, the Golden Chariot. Within the terminal building, it has recreated the famous stone chariot of Hampi to house the information and booking kiosk for the luxury train. “During the week-ends, these spaces will come alive with performances by hundreds of folk artists,” it said.

The State Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure Development, Mr G. Janardana Reddy, inaugurated the event in the presence of the CEO of BIAL, Mr Marcel Hungerbuehler, the Tourism Secretary, Mr K. Jothiramalingam, and the Managing Director of Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation, Mr Vinay Luthra.

A typical Karnataka ‘village’ houses the stalls of five State-owned companies with their wares – Karnataka Tourism, Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation, Coffee Board, Mysore silks maker Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation, Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd and leather industries body LIDKAR.

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