HAI hosts 7th HAI Hoteliers’ Conclave, lauds MoT & NITI Aayog's push for hospitality deregulation to boost hotel sector

New Delhi: The Hotel Association of India (HAI) hosted the 7th HAI Hoteliers’ Conclave on Friday, and reiterated a push for infrastructure status, development of new destinations with industry incentives, and the ease of doing business to accelerate India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 tourism ambitions.

The event brought together policymakers, tourism authorities, hospitality leaders and industry stakeholders to deliberate on how India can re-engineer tourism and hospitality to make a larger contribution to the country’s Vision 2047. Tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated the Conclave.

Held under the theme ‘Re-Engineering Hospitality’, the conclave examined the structural changes required to enable the hospitality sector to scale sustainably and play a larger role in India’s Vision 2047, with discussions spanning investment, infrastructure, employment, regional development and policy reform.


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HAI said Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent greetings to the Hotel Association of India on its 7th Hoteliers' Conclave in New Delhi, noting that the industry carries forward India's tradition of hospitality rooted in "Atithi Devo Bhava." The Prime Minister highlighted the rapid transformation of India's tourism landscape, with better connectivity and infrastructure opening up new destinations, and with religious and spiritual circuits, adventure, wellness and wedding tourism creating new opportunities for businesses, employment and economic activity. He added that the warmth of human emotions will always be at the heart of hospitality, and a professional who cares for a guest and understands their needs is the face of India's hospitality that guests will remember forever. Therefore, investing in the skills of our youth and other stakeholders is an important part of enhancing the tourism and hospitality sector.

Tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said Indian hospitality is entering a new phase, moving beyond rooms and accommodation towards experience-led tourism. "With over 400 crore domestic tourist visits in 2024 and a growing middle class increasingly prioritising travel and experiences, India has immense potential to drive tourism-led growth. Our cultural heritage, technology and expanding infrastructure can together shape the next phase of tourism, but realising this opportunity will require scale, speed, confidence and transformation," he added.

KB Kachru, president, Hotel Association of India (HAI) and chairman – South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said with around 225,000 hotel rooms, India has immense potential to create jobs, attract investment, generate foreign exchange and drive growth.

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"The priority now is to move from policy intent to measurable execution by strengthening infrastructure, connectivity and destination-level delivery, while making India more competitive for global tourism, MICE and weddings," he said.

"As our prime minister has rightly recognised, tourism is an important pillar of the economy. At HAI, we believe hospitality must be recognised as a national economic priority, with government and industry working together to translate ambition into outcomes and turn India’s demographic dividend into a sustained economic dividend," he added.

MP Bezbaruah secretary general, Hotel Association of India said growing global appeal presents a significant opportunity for hospitality.

"To fully harness this potential, we need to expand capacity, strengthen the ecosystem and create an environment that encourages long-term investment," he added.