“This is the first time independent India has seen such impetus or focus on developing infrastructure, both from the government and the private sector, such as road network, improvement of stations, world class airports, sports stadiums, convention centers,” said Mandeep Lamba, president and CEO, South Asia, HVS Anarock, while moderating the session.
Tourism in India grew 300% YoY in 2023, said MakeMyTrip executive officer Rajesh Magow. “We have to create awareness and change the perception of the country, because people (tourists) also worry about security and safety.” Tourism in India is only at 85% of what it was in 2019 before the Covid pandemic hit, he said.
India currently gets about 9.8 million overseas visitors, compared to over 11 million before the pandemic, he added. That number also includes those who aren’t tourists, said Puneet Chhatwal, managing director and CEO, The Indian Hotel Co. Ltd (IHCL). “At least half of them are people coming here for business, whether they get counted as delegates of G20 or for other business because a lot of international companies have offices in India,” he said.
The US remains the largest source of tourists, followed by the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France and Germany. They tend to spend the most on jewellery and apparel, according to payment company Visa, which has anonymised access to the payment footprint of foreign travellers.
“With health and wellness tourism becoming popular among international tourists, leveraging the Ayush initiative can be a big opportunity for the government,” said Sandeep Ghosh, group country manager, India and South Asia, Visa.
With Indian carriers increasing their fleet size and network, airlines can focus on customers using artificial intelligence, said Neelu Khatri, cofounder, Akasa Air. “Customer-centricity based on digitisation, based on AI techniques… Can we create an AI mechanism on hyper-focused passenger services?” she said.
HRH Group of Hotels promoter Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar said that while leveraging AI and technology is important, hospitality is about people-to-people connect.
“Talking about health and hospitality is something that you can touch, something that you can feel, something that you can see,” he said.
