Royal Salute, the world’s leading luxury Scotch whisky, marked its third year as title sponsor of the Royal Salute Maharaja of Jodhpur Golden Jubilee Cup.

As one of the most prestigious polo events, the largest and most international crowd ever watched the impressive Central Academy team win the 10-goal tournament.

The annual New Year’s Eve Procession, lead by His Highness the Maharaja of Jodhpur, marked the end of the five-day event.

‘Incredible’ India has been voted the world’s leading destination at this year’s World Travel Awards ceremony, held January 11 in Qatar.

India saw off competition from London, New York, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney to take the award, the most prestigious handed out at the event.

Etihad Airways was judged world’s leading airline, seeing off a host of competitors including KLM, British Aiways, Singapore Airlines, Qatar and Virgin Atlantic.

The annual Chanel Metier D’Arts premiere took place in the Galerie Courbe at Paris’s Grand Palais Tuesday December 6 with an India-themed luxury show.

Models, adorned with accessories including head-jewellery and turbans – also for men – walked the epic runway sporting the 2012 pre-fall collection.

Guests sat at banquet tables, which doubled as a runway, complete with chandeliers, opulent candlesticks – and a feast fit for a Maharaja.

LVMH Group’s yacht-building firm Princess has announced formal entry into India and is aiming to sell up to five luxury boats in the next year.

Smallest of these yachts cost INR40million ($790,000) while at the higher end, the price can go up to INR300million ($6,000,000).

“We will sell four to five yachts in the next 12 months,” Sharad Kachalia, a director at Navnit Marine, Princess International’s distributor for the country.

India’s luxury sales are expected to expand by a scorching 20 percent annually until 2015, as brand-smitten consumers snap up big names to flaunt their wealth.

Luxury sales were slow to take off in India a decade ago, disappointing retailers who had rushed into what they hoped would be the next China — a vast market of over a billion people with an eye for status symbols.

But now Indian consumers “are quickly catching up with global trends”, according to Neelesh Hundekari, author of the recent “Indian Luxury Review” report.

French luxury goods maker Hermes has launched a limited edition Indian sari range to “connect” with Indian culture as it target buyers in new markets.

Indian women may wear Western dress to the office during the day but for weddings and other formal occasions they often prefer to wear six-yard (five and a half metre) elegantly draped saris, reflecting the strong pull of tradition.

“This is part of our effort to connect to India’s culture and to the tradition of elegance of Indian women,” Bertrand Michaud, president of Hermes India, told AFP.