Our goal is a data-driven framework to boost tourism resilience & growth: Suman Billa

Inaugurates FHRAI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) that aims to focus on advancing knowledge, innovation, and excellence in the tourism and hospitality sector.

The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) inaugurated its Centre of Excellence at the FHRAI office, marking an important step for the tourism and the hospitality sector in India. The inauguration was done by Suman Billa, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in the presence of senior industry leaders.

This centre of excellence has been established to further strengthen FHRAI’s advocacy efforts. This CoE, a research arm, focuses on advancing knowledge, innovation, and excellence in the tourism and hospitality sector. This centre aims to serve as an industry think tank, conduct research and valuable insights. Its goal is to drive positive transformation within the industry and strategic relationships with policymakers.

Suman Billa, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism said, “The significance of research and data in the tourism industry cannot be overstated. Being in the sector which is vast and multifaceted, it is essential to have accurate and comprehensive data to inform our decisions. While government data provides a solid foundation, it often captures only one facet of the entire landscape. To truly understand the dynamics of the tourism and hospitality sectors, we must triangulate this data with insights from industry bodies, international organisations like the World Tourism Organization (WTO), and other reliable sources.”

“The establishment of the Centre of Excellence is a welcome step in this direction. By pooling together various data sources, we can achieve a more robust understanding of our industry. This collaborative effort is not about competition; it’s about creating a comprehensive data ecosystem that benefits everyone involved. The Centre will play a vital role in generating analytical insights that can guide government policy and help us better support the industry. In turn, this will allow the government to take a fresh look at the sector, recognizing its true size and potential, and impact on employment and GDP. Ultimately, our goal is to build a data-driven framework that enhances the resilience and growth of the tourism industry as a whole, ensuring that it continues to thrive in an increasingly competitive global market” he further added.

Pradeep Shetty, President of FHRAI said, “The establishment of the Centre of Excellence represents a significant milestone for the tourism and hospitality industry in India. This has been a long-standing desire of our federation, as we have often faced challenges when approaching the government regarding policy issues, bureaucratic hurdles, and the overall ease of doing business. One of the major gaps we identified was the lack of comprehensive data to support our claims and recommendations. With the Centre of Excellence, we aim to address this gap head-on.

He further said, “This centre is not just about data collection; it’s about creating a  framework for research that can support policy advocacy. With the help of this CoE, we will generate analytical data that will help us represent our industry more effectively to the government. Every concern and issue that our members face will now be backed by solid data, allowing us to present a more compelling case for the reforms we seek. Our goal is to uplift the standards of the hospitality sector and ensure that we are equipped to meet the evolving needs of both consumers and stakeholders.”

Garish Oberoi, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India, “The hospitality sector has always struggled with a lack of focused and reliable data, which hampers our ability to address policy bottlenecks effectively. The inauguration of the Centre of Excellence is a response to this need. It will serve as a crucial resource for gathering and analysing data specific to our industry.”

Our initial focus will be on creating reports on the vital areas that impact our members across different regions. We understand that each state has unique challenges and requirements, which is why we are committed to conducting state-centric surveys and assessments. With the right personnel and resources in place, we aim to produce insightful white papers that will guide our advocacy efforts.” he further added.