INDIA IS SET to have the most Trump Towers outside the U.S., with 10 projects planned for completion in the next six years, according to a recent media report. Tribeca Developers, the exclusive licensee of Trump-branded properties in India, plans additional launches, including residential, office and golf course properties, expected to generate approximately $1.75 billion in sales.
Tribeca Developers, founded in 2012 by Kalpesh Mehta, is advised exclusively by Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president of The Trump Organization.
The number of Trump Towers in India will grow from four all-residential high-rises in Mumbai, Pune, Gurgaon and Kolkata to 10 in six years, with new projects planned for Noida, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Gurgaon and Pune. Mehta expects further growth following Trump’s election victory, the Times of India reported.
“I did my MBA at Wharton, where the Trump family, including President Trump, attended,” Mehta said. “A professor there connected me with Donald Trump Jr. We met at a bar in New York 13 to 14 years ago, and on the back of a cocktail napkin, we made our initial plans, which eventually became a reality.”
The Trump real estate business operates like a management contract hotel, where the Indian partner invests in the infrastructure, and the Trump Organisation provides branding, service standards, and global reach. Tribeca Developers previously licensed the Trump brand to Lodha Group for a Mumbai project and to Panchshil Realty for one in Pune.
“President Trump’s advice when we tied up, and since then, has been: ‘We don’t want to do too many projects, but whatever we do should be the best in class,’” Mehta told the Times.
In 2014, when the two companies launched Trump Tower Mumbai, Donald Trump visited India.
“This was shortly after Narendra Modi won the 2014 general election,” Mehta said. “He discussed India during his first trip to the country, and the main topic at that time was Modi. Since then, he has been very fond of our prime minister. The President has always believed in India’s potential, but he became more bullish after Modi became prime minister.”
Mehta said India will have the most Trump properties outside the U.S.
“The four Trump Towers, one each in Mumbai, Pune, Gurgaon and Kolkata, have a combined area of 3 million square feet, with about 800 residences priced between $699,906 and $2.9 million each, and a total sale value of approximately $875 million,” he said. “The six more coming up in the next six years will have a combined floor area of 8 million square feet and a total sale value of approximately $1.75 billion.”
Pune, which already has a Trump Tower, will get another Trump complex with an office block. A Trump golf course and villas will be built in another city.
The projects in Mumbai, Pune and Gurgaon follow a full-stack development model, where the company handles all aspects, including capital investment and construction. In other cities, it adopts a partial-stack model, partnering with local developers to focus on branding, design, sales, and marketing, without direct involvement in capital or construction.
Trump recently joined Tesla CEO Elon Musk in backing the H-1B visa program, which enables U.S. companies to hire skilled foreign workers, despite opposition within his party.
Canadian traveler picks Pakistan’s hospitality over India’s
Pakistan Beats India in Hospitality, Says Canadian Vlogger
INDIA IS KNOWN for “Atithi Devo Bhava,” meaning "The guest is God," but some foreigners disagree. A Canadian man, when asked to choose between India and Pakistan for better hospitality, picked Pakistan without hesitation.
His brief interview with an Instagram user has since gone viral, Hindustan Times reported.
Instagram user @officialnamour, known for vox pop videos, recently asked Canadian traveler Nolan Saumure about "desi" hospitality. Saumure, a Canadian travel vlogger, has visited dozens of countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Indonesia, the U.S. and Vietnam.
When asked, “India or Pakistan—which has better hospitality?” Saumure instantly replied, "Pakistan, obviously."
He explained that Indians often see foreigners as wealthy customers, while Pakistanis offer warm hospitality, inviting tourists into their homes and offering food.
"You go to India, and people just see you as a walking ATM," Saumure said. "You go to Pakistan, and people are like, 'Oh, come here, sit. Take this free food. Come sleep at my place.'"
The video has more than 4.4 million views and hundreds of comments, many agreeing with Saumure.
"As an African living in Dubai, I agree with him. Pakistanis are friendlier than Indians. Pakistanis see you as a friend, while Indians see you as a stranger," one user commented. Another added simply, “I agree (I’m Indian).”
“India gets a lot of tourists, so we’re used to it and have built an economy around them,” another Instagram user said. “Pakistan gets only a few hundred tourists a year, so seeing a foreigner is a big deal for them.”
Some criticized Saumure’s opinion, some with racial overtones.
“Why do whites expect princess treatment from Indians after stealing $45 trillion from India?” one user asked.
A whitepaper by the Confederation of Indian Industry and EY projects India’s tourism and hospitality sector will create 6.1 million jobs by 2034. It currently accounts for 8 percent of total employment.