Highlighting India’s potential to become the biggest tourism destination with the combined effort of private players and the Government, G Kishan Reddy, Tourism Minister of India inaugurated the 5th HAI Hoteliers Conclave, the flagship event of Hotel Association of India, at The LaLit in New Delhi today.
Reassuring the industry, the Minister indicated that the new National Tourism Policy, expected to be rolled out in time before the next Parliament session, will address various issues presently faced by the hospitality and tourism sector in India. The Government is presently in the process of incorporating feedback from the industry and a few ministries before it finalises the New Tourism Policy.
Seeking greater collaboration and cohesion between the government and private players, the tourism minister called on hoteliers to partner with the Archaeological Society of India to help improve more than 3500 monuments across the country. Speaking on the employment crisis faced by India, the Minister believed it (crisis) can be alleviated if the growth of the tourism sector works in tandem with the government.
HAI President and Managing Director & CEO, IHCL, Puneet Chhatwal in his keynote address said, “the tourism industry is going through not just an evolution but a revolution. Collaboration between government and private players will encourage investments in the sector and create millions of incremental jobs. We are moving from the era of over service to good service. The pandemic put everything under a magnifying glass and now with rationalisation taking place and the adoption of new technology, the world is rethinking tourism. Now the focus is on inclusive growth which is sustainable and climate resilient.”
Arvind Singh, Secretary (Tourism), Government of India said, “The expectations of the Indian hospitality space are rising rapidly, mirroring the growth in the quality of international tourism. This also reflects the growth of the Indian tourism industry, which is twice that of the global tourism industry. The upcoming G20 meet in India will be a key factor in aiding recovery for the Indian hospitality industry. The government has identified 55 unique locations for key G20 meetings on tourism, finance, labour, etc. These sites are chosen for their availability of hotels, convention centres, air, road and rail connectivity.”
Highlighting the importance of leading the country towards an extensive “Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Chhatwal re-emphasised on the significance of promoting the coming together of public entities with private players in a mutually beneficial partnership. Such collaborations could potentially create ample business opportunities and help in aiding the employment crisis at hand. From a global standpoint, one out of four jobs have been contributed by the travel and tourism sector.”
MP Bezbaruah, Secretary General, Hotel Association of India said, “The Conclave was a great opportunity for the hospitality industry to take stock of the status of the industry post-Covid, share experiences and exchange ideas. The conclave deliberated on the role of the industry in India@2047. It was an occasion for in-depth assessment of the lessons learnt, the challenges facing the industry in future and how to exploit the opportunities in making tourism and hospitality truly a pillar of development.”
The conclave highlighted the key takeaways from challenges faced during the pandemic. The panel sessions encapsulated pertinent discussions about ways to revitalise and evolve concepts to present new opportunities and enhance business in the post-pandemic scenario.
“We should emphasise more on revisiting the policies to run a better business. Positioning, job creation and attracting investment for the industry are going to play an important role. HAI, is constantly, retrieving to have the industry status for the industry to overcome the losses. The smallest of reforms including promoting LTC for domestic travel and incentivising by giving a tax advantage to travellers will also contribute a large part”, KB Kachru, Vice President, HAI and Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor (South Asia), Radisson Hotel Group concluded.
Hotel Association of India (HAI), which is celebrating 25 years, has been an active proponent of the industry, taking up several industry issues and actively pursuing the Government to grant infrastructure status to the hospitality sector. The day-long conference hosted several hospitality industry leaders and experts from around the globe, owners and CEOs of hotel companies, policymakers, and professionals from across the country.
