-KH News Desk (editorilal1@imaws.org)
Union Minister Piyush Goyal stated that there is no better time than now to invest in India’s hospitality sector, which continues to demonstrate strong performance amid the country’s growing economic momentum. Addressing the Annual Conference and 105th Annual General Meeting of ASSOCHAM, Goyal emphasized that while India’s travel and tourism sector is experiencing rapid growth, it faces several challenges that require a concerted, joint effort from both the government and the private sector to address.
Investment and Strategy Focus
Goyal specifically highlighted the need for a targeted strategy to attract high-spending tourists to the country.
- Need for High-Value Tourists: The Minister pointed out, “What we have not yet been able to get are those tourists who come in and really spend on large expenses… better rooms, better hotels, better travel goods and all that.” He stressed that India must develop a concerted strategy to bring in visitors who will spend more on shopping, premium hotels, and superior travel experiences.
- Hotel Requirement: He underscored the essential infrastructure need, stating that India will require more three-star, four-star, and five-star hotels to meet the rising demand across the country. He reiterated his message to investors, asserting, “By and large, the hospitality industry is doing very well these days. I would think there’s no better time than now to invest more in hospitality.”
- Infrastructure Investment: While noting that Delhi has seen significant investments, often consumed by political, diplomatic, and business travel, Goyal stressed the overarching need to boost private sector investments in tourism-related infrastructure, including airlines, aircraft, and enhanced facilities for travelers.
Government Initiatives and Economic Outlook
Goyal also detailed the government’s plans to boost tourism and provided an optimistic economic outlook for India.
- Destination Development: The government is actively working with state governments to identify 50 tourist destinations under a “challenge mode”. Under this approach, states will propose potential sites, and the best ones will be selected for development, encouraging competitive development of tourism infrastructure.
- Economic Resilience: On the overall economy, the Minister expressed confidence that India is demonstrating “tremendous resilience and ability to steer through the turbulence,” and is “Admirably continuing to be the world’s fastest-growing economy.”
- Positive Indicators: He cited positive economic data, noting that the IMF recently raised India’s growth forecast from 6.4 per cent to 6.6 per cent. Additionally, he mentioned that retail inflation in September fell to an eight-year low of 1.54 per cent, and the country’s Foreign Exchange Reserves remain robust, at approximately 700 billion dollars.
MSME Sector Challenges
Goyal briefly touched upon challenges facing the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), noting that access to debt finance remains a concern due to banks following a conservative approach. He also highlighted that MSMEs face issues with their credit rating, as they are often benchmarked against much larger companies.
