New Delhi, August 2023.

As the tourism and hospitality sectors move on the path of recovery and growth after the two traumatic years of the pandemic, the Hotel Association of India (HAI) has come out with a vision and a roadmap for the future of the sector.HAI met the hon’ble secretary (tourism) , Mrs.V.Vidyavathi recently ad presented her with a copy of the report “Vision 2047-Indian Hotel Industry-Challenges & The Road Ahead”.

The  delegation comprised of its Vice President, Mr. K.B. Kachru, Chairman Emeritus and Principal Advisor, South Asia Radisson Hotel Group, Secretary General Mr. M.P Bezbaruah, HAI Founding Members Ms. Priya Paul, Chairperson, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited, Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson, and MD, Bharat Hotels Limited,  also participated in the meeting along with Mr. Ajay K. Bakaya, HAI Fellow Member&, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd., and Mrs. Charulata Sukhiia Deputy Secretary General HAI .

The Report charts out various possible scenarios for the future and what the industry can reasonably achieve by the year India celebrates 100 years of independence.

The report focuses on how the pandemic has altered the way of doing business and analyses the megatrends like technology, sustainability concerns, changing consumer behaviour, digitization, AI, etc. that will shape the future of the industry.

As per the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), India ranked 6th in 2021 for its contribution to GDP after the US, China, Japan, Germany, and Italy. The total contribution of the tourism and hospitality sectors to India’s GDP increased to USD 135.4 billion in 2021 from USD 122 billion in 2020 and recovered to a pre-pandemic level (USD 191 billion in 2019). The report discusses how to consolidate these gains and how to build the future on the present experiences.

Appreciating HAI’s initiative of coming out with a vision 2047 report, Shrimati V.Vidyavathi, emphasised the importance of strong partnership and constructive dialogue with the industry. She also outlined the government’s vision for integrated destination development and the role HAI can play in it. The document outlines the potential of the Indian hotel industry in the next 25 years. The document discusses the opportunities available to hotel industry stakeholders to work in collaboration.

HAI is confident the information provided in the report will act as a stimulant to identify answers to critical challenges.

HAI President and Managing Director & CEO, IHCL, Puneet Chhatwal said, “The tourism industry is going through a significant transformation and technology has helped us enhance customer engagements. Convergence of efforts at different levels and collaboration between the government and private stakeholders will be the key to the successful realisation of the vision of creating jobs and contributing to the national growth story.

As the industry equips itself to face the new challenges aiming to achieve greater heights and recognition globally, and redesign itself to be an important pillar of national development goals, the report will be a very useful reference and guide.

MP Bezbaruah, Secretary General, Hotel Association of India, said, "The country is celebrating 'Amrit Kaal' as it completes 75 years of independence and embarks on a trip to 100 years. Hospitality Vision 2047 envisions the role of the industry to supplement the government’s new approach to Mission Mode Tourism Development and create a dynamic, vibrant hospitality industry that gives shape to the nation’s development goals."

"India is the land of vast opportunities in tourism and has a massive talent pool.  India Vision 2047 is for a USD3 trillion tourism economy and a million international tourist arrivals. Hospitality sector will play a pivotal role. This report takes a look at the road ahead and the challenges, highlighting the policy interventions required to support the rapid growth of hotels to meet the targets of tourist inflows-both domestic and foreign said, KB Kachru, Vice President, HAI, and Chairman Emeritus and Principal Advisor (South Asia), Radisson Hotel Group.

 The ministry of tourism has supported the Industry’s request of according hotels the status of “Infrastructure” at the Centre and at the state level, allowing hotels to avail benefits given to manufacturing uniformly across all States and UTs .The same has been proposed in the National Tourism Policy which the Industry awaits eagerly to be approved by concerned ministries /governments.

The HAI team also apprised the Hon’ble Secretary, about the Association, its objectives and activities. Other issues discussed were domestic tourism especially religious tourism, promotion of UNESCO heritage sites in the country and the PATA Travel Mart being scheduled to be held in New Delhi in the first week of October. Another meeting will be planned shortly to take the discussions forward. There was a commitment to move forward together.