Category Archives: Associations

OTOAI had a follow-up meeting with Suman Billa, Addl. Secretary, Tourism after heads of travel trade associations met new Union Minister of Tourism. “We have been assured that the ministry will take our issues. We will meet again to discuss how outbound tourism is benefiting inbound tourism,” said Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI.

Speaking about the suggestions HAI proposed to the MOT, KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group (RHG), and President, HAI, said, “Government has to tweak some of the policies, particularly to give infrastructure status to the tourism sector, and for talent development.”

Following the 39th IATO Convention, Madhya Pradesh aims to claim the top spot in India’s tourism, under the guidance of Sheo Shekhar Shukla, MD of State Tourism Board. Highlighting the preparedness for 1,000 inbound operators, Mahendra Pratap Singh, Chairman, IATO MP Chhattisgarh Chapter, expressed belief that they will achieve the target.

UN Tourism Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, stressed the need to embrace innovation and grow and direct investment into the sector in order to drive its positive transformation. “With tourism having bounced back from the biggest crisis in its history, now is the time to channel our energy into building greater resilience against any future shocks,” he said. “At the same time, we must ensure tourism’s growth benefits people everywhere, above all by expanding access to education and job opportunities and harnessing the power of new technology.”

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR) reveals a significant recovery of India’s Travel & Tourism sector, with domestic tourism playing a pivotal role. The data shows that whilst domestic tourism is driving the recovery of the sector in India,  international travel spend remains below pre-pandemic levels. According to the global tourism body’s latest research, the sector’s contribution to India’s GDP reached just over INR 19.13TN in 2023 – almost 10% ahead of 2019 levels. Employment in Travel & Tourism grew by 10% to reach just under 43MN, 8% more than in 2019. Domestic visitor spending was 15% ahead of 2019, reaching INR 14.64TN however international visitor spending remained more than 14% behind 2019 last year – INR 0.4TN less being spent by international visitors last year than in 2019. Such strong growth in domestic visitor spending is evidence that domestic visitors have led the sector’s path toward post-pandemic recovery. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said; “India’s Travel & Tourism sector is bouncing back with remarkable vigour, driven by a surge in domestic tourism.

Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI said, “Today’s travellers are increasingly mature and discerning; they prioritize meaningful experiences. We’ve observed a substantial 20-30% rise in luxury and experiential travel, underscoring a robust demand for high-quality, personalised travel experiences.”

The Hotel And Restaurant Association (Western India) – HRAWI is slated to host a conclave titled ‘Empowering Hospitality’ at The Grand Bhagwati in Ahmedabad on Friday, June 21, 2024. The conclave will have Nalinkumar Chaudhary, Director, Gujarat State Fire Prevention Services, Gandhinagar and Sukanya Pondugala, Assistant Director (Technical), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), GoI as the Chief Guests for the day. The event will feature speakers – Dr V. Pasupathy, Food Safety Expert & Founder of Parikshan FSS ; M Arunkumar, Managing Director of Envu India and Mr Hemant Khadse, CEO, East Corp Group who will share expertise in their respective domains and address critical hospitality matters including the opportunities and challenges in FSSAI compliance, pest management in the food industry and, fire and safety at hotel and restaurant establishments.

Speaking at the 17th Outlook & Update Meeting by PATA India Chapter in New Delhi, Manisha Saxena, DG, Tourism, has said that it is important to segment the offerings across India. “We cannot offer everything to everyone. We need to work with state governments to create more accommodation as this is a big bottleneck, especially for MICE,” she said.

Sameer Karnani, Managing Committee Member of TAAI, & Owner of Arunodaya Travels, says that there are not many TAAI members registered by India Tourism. “This is not giving us the right kind of platform when we are talking to the ministry, and more members should register themselves with the MoT. The issue with this is the criterion for staff where IATA-approved staff is not recognised. It needs to be tourism trained staff only, and this is very hard to find,” he says.

Pushing the agenda for the hospitality sector, Pradeep Shetty, President, HRAWI, says, “Apart from our longest standing demands for Industry and Infrastructure statuses, we urge the Government to streamline regulatory processes to facilitate Ease of Doing business. Simplifying license procurement, reducing bureaucracy and clarifying regulations will promote growth and innovation within the sector.”