The Hotel Association of India (HAI), a national apex body of the hotel industry and an integrated hospitality industry platform, held its 25th Annual General Meeting on 16th March in New Delhi. In his presidential address at the meeting, Puneet Chhatwal, MD and CEO, The Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) emphasized the need to forge closer ties and collaborate with other industry bodies for a stronger and more unified voice.
While highlighting the pandemic-related challenges confronting the industry, he commended the tremendous resilience and enormous innovation shown by the sector. While the industry is firmly on the road to recovery, supply chain disruptions, subdued employment growth, rising inflation, food insecurity, the setback to human capital accumulation, supply-demand mismatches, and climate change will continue to pose difficulties and would be some of the key issues of concern going forward.
Chhatwal said, “International travel has gone back 30 years globally and the ripple effect of tourism is affecting the economy of countries. The Indian hospitality sector has rebounded due to various components of domestic travel and a vigorous internal demand.”
He saluted the tireless work done by HAI in its interaction and interventions with the governments at all levels to save and protect the industry through desired relief measures. He expressed his pride and joy at the good Samaritan work done by the industry and by the HAI member hotels in providing relief and comfort of meals, sanitized accommodation, and safety equipment to the healthcare fraternity, migrant labor, sanitation workers, and stranded tourists. HAI members stood united with the government in fighting the pandemic. Hotels served as quarantine centers and even augmented the hospital bed capacities.
Lauding the HAI State Chapters, he mentioned that these played an instrumental role in the successes that the industry witnesses today. According to ‘Industry’ status to hotels by the states of Maharashtra Karnataka and Rajasthan, the introduction of some positive and welcome changes in the State tourism policies by Punjab and Telangana, extension of financial support to hotels by the states of Odisha, Gujarat, and Rajasthan have been possible on account of efforts at the regional level.
Chhatwal thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for urging Indians to see their country and visit tourist destinations to help revive local economies. Complimenting the announcement of PM Gatishakti to strengthen the infrastructure of rail, roads, ports, etc he stated that it would support the growth and development of tourism in the long term. The Ministry of Tourism’s Campaign “Dekho Apna Desh ” is helping the sector by promoting domestic tourism.
Concluding his address to the members on an optimistic note, he mentioned that a lot more is required to be done. HAI will continue its efforts using all possible modes of communication, media coverage, engagement with stakeholders and members. The industry needs to set newer benchmarks and attain fresh goals. He called for the continued support of the members in playing a meaningful role in the growth and development of the Indian hospitality industry urging hoteliers to work together, responsibly and in a sustainable manner to take the industry to new heights in its contribution to the national economy to build a stronger India – an Atma Nirbhar India. In the process, he cautioned, let us never forget the dictum that has been the industry’s guiding mantra: Atithi Devo Bhava.
