Tag Archives: KB Kachru

“Tourism and hospitality play a crucial role in the growth of the Indian economy. However, there has been no policy announcement to facilitate the development of hotels and the promotion of inbound tourism”, says KB Kachru, President, HAI. The industry will continue to ask for a grant of infrastructure status for the hospitality sector, he said.

Commenting on the Union Budget, KB Kachru, President, HAI, stated, “There is a continued focus on infrastructural development, fiscal prudence and consolidation whereas tourism continues to be accepted as an engine of growth for the economy. The emphasis has been given to spiritual tourism, however, there is no mention of any policy changes to expedite the growth.” He further said, “Tourism and hospitality play a crucial role in the growth of the Indian economy. The continued focus on government spending on infrastructure development augurs well for the sector. Improved infrastructure would translate into better connectivity which will be beneficial to the promotion of tourism. The development of the eastern region especially Odisha, temple corridors in Gaya and  Bodhgaya, Rajgir and the identification of Nalanda as a key tourism site continue to demonstrate the government’s intent to utilize the potential of tourism. Regrettably, however, there has been no policy announcement to facilitate the development of hotels and promotion of inbound tourism. The announcement of GST simplification, comprehensive review of the income tax Act provides some hope for the sector that has been seeking rationalisation of taxes. The benefits to individuals on taxation will augment the spending power. The focus on skilling and incentivising employers for creating jobs are other positives that will benefit all sectors.” Although not directly linked to this budget, the industry would continue pursuing its ask for grant of infrastructure status for the hospitality sector and industry-related benefits by all state governments, Kachru added.

KB Kachru, President, HAI, said, “The forthcoming Union Budget offers an opportunity to unleash the potential of India hospitality in its contribution to India Vision 2047. We request the government to make key policy shifts in the sector by giving infrastructure status to hotels rather than categorising them as luxury, elite or even ‘sin’ goods”.

KB Kachru, President, Hotel Association of India, said, “To beat the heat, residents of the Northern region seek refuge in the hills. Industry insiders estimate a 30 to 40% rise in summer travel compared to last year.” While Goa remains the top beach destination of choice, mountain destinations like Nainital, Rishikesh, Manali, Mussoorie, and Darjeeling are gaining traction for June trips, signalling a shift in traveller preferences towards serene mountain environments.

Hotel Association of India has elected its new Executive Committee, and KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South Asia at Radisson Hotel Group is the new President of the prestigious association for a two-year term. Vice President is Rohit Khosla, Executive Vice President, IHCL; JK Mohanty, MD Swosti Group is the Hony. Secretary and Sanjay Sethi, MD & CEO, Chalet Hotels, is the new Hony. Treasurer for the association. Two new EC members include Shashank Bhagat, MD, Radisson Blu Marina Hotel and Sonali Chauhan, General Manager, IHCL.

KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group shared that Radisson Group is setting its sights on growth and have a remarkable number of properties in the pipeline. “Our goal is to build a hotel every four hours both from north to south and from west to east,” he said.

KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South-Asia, Radisson Hotel Group and Vice President, Hotel Association of India, launched his book ‘ Humility and Agility: The Life of a Hotelier’, where he informed, “We will have the best Radisson hotel in the country opening in Srinagar in the next three months.” 

KB Kachru, Vice President, HAI and Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South Asia Radisson Hotel Group, speaking at a recent interaction chaired by Minister of Tourism and Secretary, Tourism, said, “Given the local pull factor & ability of our domestic market combined with recent government policies, we can showcase our diversity to attract foreign investment.”

KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) and Vice President, HAI, spoke at the 2nd International Conference on Hospitality and Tourism – Revival Strategies, and said that the industry needs to appreciate and boost the domestic tourism that has revived the sector after the pandemic. He also spoke about the need to be in touch with the market trends like staycation as it emerged with the onset of work from home.

KB Kachru, Vice President, Hotel Association of India, has shared that they have created state chapters so that they can deal both at central level and state level. “We realised that we needed to have a better voice and we needed to be significant enough to make a difference. Keeping that in mind, we felt that we needed to deal both at central level and state level. Hence, we decided that in order to expand, we need to get more quality products, respective to the segment, whether it’s luxury hotels, first-class hotels, mid-market hotels, or good economy hotels, and make them part of us, so that we have right numbers and then work towards getting our due from different states because all of them have different policies. Hence, we established state chapters in different states,” he said.