Industry welcomes Tourism Minister, lists recommendations

With the pandemic, the entire value chain of the travel and tourism industry has been disrupted, spreading its tentacles through hospitality, aviation, railways, roadways, et cetera. Battling the Covid-19 has been a huge challenge for our world and a crisis of dimensions that are unprecedented and incomparable to any past experience.

The tourism industry of India contributes nine per cent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 10 per cent to its employment in the pre-covid era. The sector’s contribution in 2019 stood at 6.9 per cent and went down to 4.7 per cent in 2020, as per the World Travel and Tourism Council, SBI Research.

The report further suggests that due to the massive hit by pandemic, the industry suffered a sharp decline of 20 per cent in employment. Currently, the essential revenue of the industry is coming through domestic tourism which increased to 89 per cent in 2020 from 82 per cent in 2019.

Now as the industry is struggling and trying to stay afloat under these unprecedented times, the government has also stepped up and  has reshuffled its cabinet, appointing G Kishan Reddy as the Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North East Region.

The BJP MP from Secunderabad in Telangana is ably supported by two Ministers of State in the Ministry of Tourism – Shripad Yesso Naik and Ajay Bhatt; two Ministers of State in the Ministry of Culture – Arjun Ram Meghwal and Meenakshi Lekhi and BL Verma as Minister of State in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

The move is a testimony to the focus that the Prime Minister is bringing to the hospitality, travel, tourism and F&B industry with G Kishan Reddy taking charge to set a course that will be best for the sectors. To showcase the sentiments of the industry leaders, BW HOTELIER got in touch with them to note their excitement, suggestions, and recommendations.

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