Unless we address the supply side immediately, we risk missing the tourism opportunity altogether: Suman Billa

Supply is simply not keeping pace with demand, said Suman Billa, Additional Secy, MOT, adding, “Current estimates indicate that we have about 180,000 branded hotel rooms in the country, including those under development. However, if you factor in the latent demand—such as the 470 million-plus domestic travellers and incoming international tourists—the numbers suggest we should already have double that capacity. Not five years from now, but today. Unless we address the supply side immediately, we risk missing the tourism opportunity altogether.”