Category Archives: Associations

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) at a press conference has announced that it will host its 18th regional convention in Sri Lanka. The convention will be held from June 27 to June 30 this year and it will be the associations first regional convention to be held outside the country. The convention will attended by key policy makers, International government representatives, investors and industry stalwarts. Kumar DE Silva, Chairman, Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, Sanath Ukwatte, President of Hotel Association of Sri Lanka, Aravinda De Silva, Deputy Chairman, Ideal Motors Pvt Ltd, John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs and Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Honorable High Commissioner, High Commission of India will be the distinguished dignitaries for the opening evening at the convention. The second day will begin with a city tour paired with a lunch at a local restaurant followed by traditional performance and a rendition of both the national anthems later in the evening at the Hilton Grand Ball Room. The third day will be dedicated to business and networking with four different sessions on the various aspects of hotel operations, food and travel bloggers, hotel interiors trends and emerging restaurant trends and emerging trends in Sri Lankan cuisine. Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI said, “This is our 18th regional convention and also first time we are having the convention out of India. The reason for hosting the convention out of the country is because it is more of a cultural exchange.”

The Hotels and Restaurants Association of North India (HRANI) has said that the shortage of water in Shimla is back to normal. Adequate arrangements have been made by the state government and water supply is being ensured to hotels in order to facilitate tourists. Sanjay Sood, President, HRANI & EC Member, FHRAI said, “the inflow of tourist that took a hit due to water shortage in Shimla the capital city of Himachal Pradesh is slowly getting back to normal and but now things are in better shape. There should not be any apprehensions in visiting the city as guest service is our prime concern. Beautiful weather & mesmerising hills await to welcome you”. “The hotel industry is grateful to Jairam Thakur, Honourable Chief Minister and Acting Chief Justice Shri Sanjay Karol for their intervention in resolving the issue and ensuring proper water supply. HRANI requests the media to highlight the normalcy in water supply through its reports so that tourism re-gains momentum in the state” he further continued. “As responsible citizens, let us pledge to save and conserve natural resources. Reduce – Recycle and Reuse should be the mantra, we all should adopt,”he said.

Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) during 2017 were USD 27,742 mn with a growth of 17.0 per cent over 2016, according to a recent report on inbound tourism by FICCI and Yes Bank. This growth trend is dependent on many external factors including exchange rate and socio–political scenario. However, despite global undulations, FEEs have consistently contributed a significant share to the tourism GDP of India. The rising flow of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) is clearly a function of the stellar growth performance of emerging tourism trends like MiCE along with spiritual travel and medical tourism. Furthermore, it goes without saying that FTAs have been able to garner considerable resources for the country and started contributing significantly to the economy.

Domestic expenditure reached Rs 12.11 trillion (US$ 186.03 billion) in 2017 and is expected to reach Rs 26.43 trillion (US$ 405.84 billion), implying a compounded annual growth rate of 7.29 per cent between 2012-28, according to World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) Economic Impact 2018 report. Domestic expenditure on tourism is expected to rise due to the growing income of households. A number of niche offerings such as medical tourism and ecotourism are expected to create more demand.

According to a recent research study by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), India is set to welcome increased international visitor arrivals over the next five years with an average annual growth rate of 14.5 per cent from South Asia between 2018 and 2022. Bangladesh is anticipated to top the chart (with a 17 per cent increase) of IVAs to India, followed by Afghanistan which is forecast to transcend Sri Lanka in the growth table with an average annual increase of 14.8 per cent over the same period. Nepal closely follows, expecting a rise of 11.5 per cent annually.

KJ Alphons, Minister of State (I/C), Tourism, Government of India, has launched the Indian Adventure Tourism Guidelines along with Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Tourism; Satyajeet Rajan, Director General, Tourism; Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Tourism and Swadesh Kumar, President, Adventure Tourism Association of India (ATOAI). A total of 26 activities have been covered in the guidelines including land, air and water based activities. The guidelines have been put in place to make the unorganised sector to adopt them. These guidelines will be reviewed every three months. In an effort to make adventure sports safer, the set of guidelines lists out the basic minimum standards required for adventure tourism activities in India. Adventure tourism has grown rapidly over the past few years playing a vital role in the economic growth of India as well as attracting a large number of travellers from across the globe to the country. The sole aim is to help adventure tour operators understand and execute safety guidelines in a better manner. These guidelines cover activities like mountaineering, trekking, bungee jumping, paragliding, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkelling, river rafting and many other sports.

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) will host its 18th edition of its regional convention from June 27-30, 2018. Themed ‘Surfing The Wave Of Global Tourism’, the convention will focus on international tourism trends and best trade practices. Centered around hospitality, the event will integrate related business sessions and business networking opportunities for participating professionals. For recreation, post the convention HRAWI shall organise tours for delegates in Colombo and Kandy. “Annual conventions offer an excellent opportunity to network with fraternity members, professionals, consultants, vendors and many others from the industry,” says Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI. “The registrations have been pouring in and the response has been fantastic,” he adds.

India ranked eighth in the world in 2017 in terms of absolute direct contribution of travel and tourism sector’s to its GDP, according to World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) Economic Impact 2018 report. It is the third largest foreign exchange earner for the country. The tourism and hospitality sector’s direct contribution to GDP in 2017 was Rs 5.94 trillion (US$ 91.27 billion). This is expected to reach Rs 12.68 trillion (US$ 194.69 billion) in 2028, implying a CAGR of 7.23 per cent during 2012-28.

According to a latest report by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) on the economic impact of travel and tourism industry in India, leisure travel spending (inbound and domestic) generated 94.6 per cent of direct travel and tourism GDP in 2017 (Rs 13,135.2 bn) compared with 5.4 per cent for business travel spending (Rs 755.9 bn). Leisure travel spending is expected to grow by 7.6 per cent in 2018 to Rs 14,127.1 bn, and rise by 7.1 per cent pa to Rs 28,154.5 bn in 2028. Business travel spending is expected to grow by 6.7 per cent in 2018 to Rs 806.4 bn, and rise by 7.0 per cent pa to Rs 1,589.7 bn in 2028. Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC, said, “2017 was one of the strongest years of GDP growth in a decade with robust consumer spending worldwide. This global growth transferred again into travel and tourism with the sector’s direct growth of 4.6 per cent outpacing the global economy for the seventh successive year.”

PATA Annual Summit 2018 underway in Gangneung, South Korea focuses on building bridges, connecting people and how collaboration creates opportunities. This four-day event brought together international thought leaders and industry professionals. The conference looked at various connections that help in shaping the industry as the world moves towards a more exponential future, bringing together a diverse line-up of international industry shapers and senior decision makers. Ban Ki-Moon, Former Secretary-General, United Nations, delivered the keynote address and Taleb Rifai, Former Secretary-General, UNWTO, provided the closing remarks.