Syed Junaid Altaf, Managing Director, Empyrean Skyview Projects Pvt. Ltd., [ESPPL] has been instrumental in conceptualizing and setting up the largest Indo-French mountain infrastructure development in India [Skyview by Empyrean Patnitop] in collaboration with marquee global organizations. The planning, development and construction of this world-class, integrated mountain tourism infrastructure offering leisure and lifestyle experiences through action-filled adventure activities, hospitality and green mobility was accomplished in partnership with the best in class including POMA Group, MND Group, ERIC, Sage Geotech, Dianeige, Flying Fox, SAS France and Synapses Adventures.
Skyview by Empyrean Patnitop is the flagship project by ESPPL and the first of its kind in the Himalayas. It is the biggest tourism project in UT J&K as well as a hallmark project under PPP model with Patnitop Development Authority.
Today, with this project in Patnitop, ESPPL has set a benchmark in developing lifestyle and adventure destinations. This world-class infrastructure set to exemplary service standards, is operated and managed by a diverse talent pool from across India as well as local resources. What began as a mobility and adventure project two years ago, now offers a 360-degree international class, lifestyle experience in the Himalayas for the entire family at price points to suit every pocket.
1. What was the basic ideology behind Skyview by Empyrean Patnitop? How did the idea of the development of tourist destinations side by side with ropeway projects come into mind?
In 2014 when our parent company FIL was looking to diversify into mountain adventure tourism, we came upon an opportunity being offered by Patnitop Development Authority for a Public-Private-Partnership in the development of a ropeway. For ESPPL, a subsidiary of FIL, this was an ideal project that involved the development of mountain adventure tourism by merging infrastructure and tourism to deliver a holistic customer experience with a commitment to green or sustainable mobility.
Thus, in 2019, Skyview by Empyrean Patnitop became the flagship project of ESPPL built around the concept of moving people and not vehicles thereby reducing dependence on fossil fuel through development of the ropeway projects. We would promote green mobility with a unique tourism destination around it as an integrated business model. We would also be in the business of providing international class infrastructure that would not only boost tourism but also provide the local community an opportunity for gainful employment and act as a catalyst towards overall economic development.
We believe that this unique project has transformed Patnitop into a new tourist hill station with its state-of-art gondola that connects Sanget valley, an idyllic hamlet and the gateway to Patnitop, by way of a picturesque gondola ride of over 2.8 kms of inclined destination in just 10-12 minutes.
2. How does your company ensure safe operations? What are the certifications that it has?
Ever since we opened in October 2019, we have ensured that safety is a priority and that all activities adhere to and are operated under international safety standards.
In the business of setting up and operating ropeways, safety of passengers is paramount. That is why we at ESPPL have partnered with technology partner POMA, the world’s leading brand in ropeway transportation.
This entire state of art infrastructure has been imported from France and adheres to CEN (European) standard certification, with over 200+ daily safety checks, monthly rescue operation drills, making it among the safest ropeways in the world.
3. Mountains and their accessibility have always been an issue for quite a few people, especially the older generation. How does the brand plan to tackle that?
Skyview By Empyrean, a lifestyle and adventure destination, caters to all age groups. Obviously, a few adventure activities such as zip lining and tubing sledge are suitable for younger people with certain levels of fitness but activities like leisure walks and a ride on the gondola can be undertaken and experienced by the older generation as well. Besides, we have golf carts within the site to ferry the physically challenged and older demographics. Today, most tourist spots in the mountains are accessible by road unlike earlier times when one had to trek or hike to the top for views etc
4. Can you explain to our readers what a “holistic destination management approach” is?
A holistic destination includes a gamut of experiences all in one place. At Skyview by Empyrean Patnitop, we offer visitors a range of on site and off site leisure and adventure activities, a wide choice of F&B options, luxury accommodation as well as camping, a ride on the picturesque gondola and sightseeing in and around Patnitop.
Here, we also have many firsts to our credit — India’s highest gondola in terms of ground clearance, Asia’s first zig zag zipline, tubing sledge and magic carpet.
Our outdoor location in the Himalayas, just a two-hour drive from Jammu, is perfect for holidays/short breaks for families, small groups or even solo travellers who are driving down from Jammu, Katra or Punjab – Chandigarh, Amritsar or Pathankot or those taking short distance flights and trains from Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara) and Kolkata. Visitors can spend an entire day here or up to 2-3 days filled with fun activities, shopping and bespoke immersive experiences.
5. What are the new technologies/sustainability initiatives being used?
With mankind being faced with numerous environmental challenges, promoting sustainable tourism is the right way forward. Over the next three years we, at Skyview by Empyrean, are looking at close to 700,000 passengers on the gondola itself which will help in reducing carbon footprint as more people will use this as a mode of transportation instead of driving up by road.
Community development is also integral to sustainability as it dovetails with regional economic growth, as well as the development of safe, livable, and attractive places for all.
At ESPPL we are also working on building a sustainable and holistic hospitality brand with differentiated offerings, global partnerships and a unique experience for every guest.
Overall there are many new initiatives being introduced globally and we can take a leaf out of a few that will work in our environment.
6. How has the brand taken care of the negative impacts on natural and cultural heritage with such construction?
As you are aware, Skyview By Empyrean Patnitop has recently been certified as India’s first Sustainable Tourism Destination by The Responsible Tourism Society of India [RTSOI], the national body of Responsible Tourism that promotes sustainable responsible tourism practices within the tourism industry. It was also conferred as “Champion” -a status which is accorded for a score of 90 plus for following sustainable eco-friendly tourism practices.
It has set the benchmark for responsible tourism and commitment to green mobility to Patnitop with the Skyview Gondola. It was the first step as it eliminated a 30-45 minutes/ 26 km road journey to just 10-12 minutes thereby reducing dependence on fossil fuel, encouraging travellers to reduce carbon footprint and enjoy a shorter and cleaner getaway to Patnitop. It is the first gondola in Asia where not a single tree was felled along the gondola line whilst constructing the project, making it an environmentally friendly construction.
Besides the gondola itself, everything at the property, right from responsible sourcing of materials to incorporating local traditions and styles in construction to utilising local craftsmen, to landscaping with native flora and fauna to architectural design promoting rainwater harvesting for recycle and reuse thereby reducing the load on natural resources and groundwater to the use of biodegradable cutlery and digitised menus; sustainability has been at the heart of the project.
Added to this are the efforts placed towards community development in sync with sustainable mobility supporting regional economic growth, including safe and livable places for all making for collective economic development. Here, the ropeway has contributed to infrastructure thereby benefiting the local community- by providing locals employment during construction and now at the site; sourcing of fresh produce from nearby villages allows for economic benefit to local farmers and saving of food miles; and last but not the least -making Patnitop a more attractive tourist destination thus benefiting travel ancillary business – hotels, restaurants, guides and local transporters.
7. Where do you see Empyrean Skyview Projects in the next 3-5 years?
Today, ESPPL as a pioneer in integrated ropeway mobility and destination development has gained the first mover advantage in the Indian market.
At present, the project at Patnitop offers a plethora of soft adventure activities, F&B outlets, a scenic ride on India’s highest Gondola/ ropeway and luxury stays as well as camping in all weather tents. We plan to expand the accommodation offering to 40-50 rooms in the next three years, with some at Patnitop so that various combination packages can be marketed. Plans also include wellness options and three to four restaurants.
We believe that ropeways create central infrastructure assets for hill stations, and the plan is to leverage our expertise at setting up more such projects across India as we want to become the largest private developer of integrated mobility with tourism. The idea is to have a pipeline of 4-6 projects to invest in over the next 5 years.
Towards this, ESPPL is now setting up the largest tourism development project in Uttarakhand and the first dual use [tourism and urban mobility] aerial ropeway in India connecting Dehradun and Mussoorie. This ropeway will be amongst the 5 longest ropeways [5.5 kms] in the world and will have retail and entertainment facilities as part of the auxiliary development.
In addition we are also developing the first ropeway at a height of 10,797 feet, to the Char Dham Temple at Yamunotri, Uttarakhand, which is part of the Char Dham Yatra, that includes Kedarnath, Gangotri and Badrinath shrines. This 3.8km which will be built in public-private partnership mode will include parking/F&B at base terminal, and additional tourism amenities like accommodation/F&B.
As part of our expansion plans, we will also be bidding for new projects that are expected to be tendered by the government in the next 18-24 months that include the Maa Chandi Devi Ropeway, [UK] Kedarnath Temple, [UK], Hemkunt Sahib [UK], Shankaracharya and Shivkhori [J&K] and the Varanasi Ropeway [UP] among others.
