Tag Archives: Confederation of Indian Industry

The total contribution of travel and tourism to Indian GDP is forecasted to increase by 4.97 per cent per annum to $280.5 billion by 2026, according to a recent report commissioned by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Deloitte. The value of the restaurant and hotel industry is expected to continue to grow at a rate (averaging 8.1% annually throughout the forecast period), as India seeks to develop and diversify the types of tourists served. Its value will increase to $39.8 billion by 2020. While the hotel and restaurant industry contributes less than 1.5% of GDP–a share that will be maintained in the next five years—this merely attests to the diversity and strength of other industries, such as IT, mining and infrastructure, which remain very important to the economy.

Underway from January 15 in Prayagraj, Kumbh Mela is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 1.2 lakh crore for Uttar Pradesh, says a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) report. Although the Kumbh Mela is spiritual and religious in nature, the economic activities associated with it generate employment for over six lakh workers across various sectors, CII said. The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for the 50-day Kumbh Mela this time, thrice the budget of the Maha Kumbh in 2013. The hospitality sector aims at employing 2,50,000 people, airlines and airports around 1,50,000 and tour operators around 45,000. The employment numbers in eco-tourism and medical tourism are being estimated at 85,000, says a CII study. Apart from this, there will be around 55,000 new jobs in the unorganised sector comprising tour guides, taxi drivers, interpreters, volunteers, etc. This will lead to increase in income levels for government agencies and individual traders. Kumbh attracts foreign tourists from countries like Australia, the UK, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, New Zealand, Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. The ‘mela’ is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 1.2 lakh crore for Uttar Pradesh, while neighbouring states like Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh will also benefit from the enhanced revenue generation with many national and foreign tourists expected to explore other destinations. Rajesh Agarwal, state Finance Minister, said, “The UP government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for 2019 Kumbh Mela. The previous state government had spent around Rs 1,300 crore for the Maha Kumbh, which was held in 2013.” Source: PTI

More than 12 crore pilgrims are expected to visit Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 starting January 15 at Prayagraj (formerly known as Allahabad) in Uttar Pradesh, including 10 lakh foreign tourists. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has joined hands with the Government of Uttar Pradesh in promoting the one-of-its-kind event. Suresh Kumar Khanna, Urban Development Minister, Uttar Pradesh announced the details of Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 in Mumbai recently, saying, “This event is organised at four places in the country. The event held at Prayagraj itself is a subject of attraction and curiosity for the country and the world. Following the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UNESCO has included Kumbh in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” Programmes based on ancient cultural heritage will be organised, in addition to cultural programmes, food, festival etc. To seek support for Kumbh 2019 from Maharashtra, Khanna met Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra, and handed over an invitation to him on behalf of Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh. The team also discussed the preparation by the state for this sought-after event. The Government of India has made a historic increase in number of flights by constructing a new air civil terminal in Prayagraj, which is now connected to the country’s several main cities like Bengaluru, Indore, Nagpur, Patna etc. A heliport is also being set up here and arrangements are being made to provide the facility of helicopter joy ride to tourists. Also, to provide high-quality facilities to tourists, a premium tent city is being developed in the Kumbh Mela area.

According to a latest report titled ‘Hospitality insights from the Indian CEO’s desk’ by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and PWC, more than one-third of the respondents indicate a willingness to invest in Tier II towns to capitalise on the growth of domestic travel. However, the survey also shows that Tier I cities, primarily Mumbai and Delhi, continue to be the most preferred locations for hotel expansion. Although most players are not looking for international locations actively, some (especially the larger Indian chains) are open to expanding internationally, provided an opportunity is available.  

The Confederation of Indian industry in Andhra Pradesh in association with Andhra Pradesh Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh, recently organised a conference on ‘Destination Vizag: A Hidden Paradise of the East’ in Vishakhapatnam to promote the destination. About 25 representatives of various destination management companies attended the conference and were later taken on a tour to Thotlakonda Buddhist circuit, Bheemli Beach and Kailash Giri as well as an eco tourism tour to Araku Valley hill station in Visakhapatnam district. While addressing the conference Pravin Kumar, IAS Collector Vizag said that most of the tourist attractions in Visakhapatnam are unexplored, and mentioned that through promotional initiatives and marketing the city could emerge as major tourist destination. Visakhapatnam’s hilly region and tribal lives could be attractions for foreign tourists. Sreekanth Nagulapalli, IAS, Secretary, Tourism, Go AP shared tourist attractions in Andhra Pradesh and Government’s tourism policy to promote infrastructure in tourism sector. He also shared proposed initiatives to promote Vishakhapatnam as destination of hills and beaches. Dr Subhash Goyal, Chairman, STIC group said that Vishakhapatnam needs to be marketed well. He suggested to form a joint working group to initiate the discussion Andhra Tourism Mart. He also suggested various policy initiatives to the state government which could increase tourist arrivals into the state. Chetan Gupta, General Secretary, ADTOI suggested for more air connectivity, a need for Tourism Information Offices in the micro cities and need for developing package tours.

In a first, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has partnered with State Government to set up separate tourism bureaus for Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati. Besides tourism promotion, CII wanted to play a facilitator’s role to woo investments in industries, IT and promote MSME and skill development in a big way in AP post-bifurcation. This figured prominently at the strategy session of CII to finalise its roadmap for 2016-17. CII-AP chairman G.S. Shiv Kumar and vice-chairman J.S.R.K. Prasad told reporters on Saturday. CII committee on tourism convener Neeraj Sarda said the first bureau would be set up for promoting tourism in Visakhapatnam in September. He said a comprehensive website would be created by involving all the stakeholders in the bureau to woo investors and facilitate development of a complete ecosystem. Sarda said building brand image for Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati was their top priority. A CII team comprising Shiv Kumar and Sarda recently visited Puducherry to find out the reasons for their success story.