A new 167-room hotel in the southern port city of Kochi, will increase Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts' portfolio in India to three properties.

The new 167-room Mövenpick Hotel Kochi, in the southern port city of Kochi, will increase Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts' portfolio in India to three properties.The management agreement was signed with ITMA Hotels India Private Ltd, an associate company of Jomer Properties & Investments. The property is strategically located on the national highway bypass road around 6 kilometres from the city centre and 25 kilometres from Cochin International Airport.Andreas Mattmüller, Chief Operating Officer of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts for Middle East and Asia said: "India has tremendous potential for further growth in the domestic and international travel segments. Last year, revenues from domestic tourism rose by 5% and that figure is expected to increase to 8% during 2014. Considering this along with the country's planned infrastructure developments, we're keen to continue expanding our existing portfolio in India by including additional key cities."The company also plans to open Mövenpick Dharamshala Resort & Spa, an exclusive 124-room resort in the Northern Indian Kangra Valley.