FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1975. ACROSS S E C TION P UBLI ca TION IN COVID TIMES: TRAVEL IS THE BIGGER PICTURE, DOCUMENTING Tourism Follows IT IS SAFE TRAVEL, TOURISM TO TRAVEL with adequate & HOSPITALITY! precautions The challenge is for the industry to re-invent, re-energise and re-coup! Survive and Thrive! Destination India was first published in 1975 and has appeared in different avatars over the years. How did industry respond to the Covid-19 crisis? Presenting a cross section of reactions from across verticals, this special edition is a reflection on these times. Published by Cross Section Media Private Limited, from 401, Surya Kiran, 19 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi, this special edition has been printed at RaveScan, Manesar, Gurugram. Business enquiries may be addressed to [email protected] DEStiNAtiON INDIA | COVID TIME SPECIAL | 3 Contributors AMITABH KaNT AJAY BAKAYA AJEET BAJAJ CEO, Niti Aayog Managing Director, MD, Snow Leopard Sarovar Hotels Adventures 12 16 20 AMAN KaPOOR ANIL BHANDARI ANKUR BHATIA CEO - Airport Land Chairman, AB Executive Director, Development, Smart Concepts Bird Group GMR Airports Ltd 25 26 30 ANKUSH ANURaaG ASHWANI NIJHAWAN BHATNAGER LOHANI Managing Director, COO, The Leela Ex-CMD, Air India/ Nijhawan Group/ Palaces, Hotels and ex-Chairman, Co-Founder TBO Resorts Railway Board Group 34 38 42 ASHWINI BINOD CHANDER KaKKAR CHAUDHARY BalJEE Entrepreneur Chairman, CG Corp Founder, Royal Global Orchid & Regenta Hotels 46 50 54 DEEP KalRA DEEPIKA RaO DHRUV SHRINGI Founder & Executive MD and CEO, Co-Founder & CEO, Chairman, Ginger Hotels Yatra.com MakeMyTrip 56 60 62 DILIP PURI E M NAJEEB HARSH VaRMA Founder & CEO, Founder Chairman, Former Director, ISH Airtravel UNWTO, Enterprises Group Madrid of Companies 66 68 72 J B SINGH JEAN-MICHEL K B KacHRU President & CEO, CASSÉ Chairman Emeritus InterGlobe Hotels Former COO, Accor & principal advisor, India & South Asia South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group 76 82 86 DEStiNAtiON INDIA | COVID TIME SPECIAL | 4 KaPIL CHOPRA KaPIL KaUL LAKSHYARAJ Chairman of The CEO & Director SINGH MEWAR Board EazyDiner/ CAPA South Asia Executive Director, Founder, The HRH Group of Postcard Hotel Hotels 90 94 96 NAKUL ANAND NEERAJ GOVIL PRASHANTH Executive Director, Senior VP – South RaO AROOR the board of ITC Ltd Asia, Marriott Founder, Intellistay International Inc Hotels and Mango Hotels 100 104 108 PUNEET RaJEEV KOHLI RaJIV KaUL CHHATWAL Joint MD, Creative Advisor, Leela MD & CEO, IHCL Travel Hotels and Palaces 110 114 118 RaKESH RaTTAN ROHIT KHATTAR MaTHUR KESWANI Founder Chairman, Co-founder, Deputy Managing Old World Responsible Director, Lemon Hospitality Tourism Society Tree Hotels/ Director, of India Carnation Hotels 122 126 128 S P JaIN SaNJAY KUMAR SaNJIV KaPOOR Founder Promoter, Chief Strategy & Ex-Chief Strategy & Pride Hotels Revenue Officer, Commercial Officer, IndiGo Vistara 130 134 136 SUBHASH SUNDER SUNJAE GOYal ADVANI SHARMA Chairman, STIC CMD, Advani Hotels VP Operations - Travel Group & Resorts India, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts 138 140 144 SURESH KUMAR VIBHAS VIRENDER Founder, PRASAD DaTTA KUE Management Director, Leisure Founder & Chairman, Services Hotels Group International Institute of Culinary Arts 148 152 154 ZUBIN ZUBIN SaXENA NAVIN BERRY KaRKARIA MD and VP Chief Editor Chief Executive Operations, South Destination India Officer, VFS Global Asia, Radisson Group Hotel Group 156 160 6 DEStiNAtiON INDIA | COVID TIME SPECIAL | 5 My Take Navin Berry Chief Editor Destination India TOURISM ON PAUSE BUttON; PUSH TRAVEL FIRST, DOWN-UP TOURISM thAT INVOLVES US ALL This moment in history calls for a new narrative for tourism rences are likely to happen every other decade, again and again. Such viruses are likely to be repeated, given the new edge countries have acquired in technology and the labs that are operated. This present one, unknown to the world, travelled across the globe, and the country where it originated, is sitting pretty, the most among ometime back last year, at a BITB conclave, all countries in the world. Its economy also seems recovered, almost Sanjeev Sanyal, principal economic advisor, miraculously, by sheer magic. If this was true, then travel and tour- Ministry of Fi- ism are likely to get affected again and again, nance, shared his be the first to get knocked down, as and belief that tourism when the virus erupts again, in one corner or is all about story- While selling the other in the world. telling. He suspected that the industry had tourism to our Documenting these times, therefore be- lost this vital and most important connect, comes even more important, especially the had forgotten the story behind all our tour- consumers, we will learning for an industry that has been Sist places. In his opinion, bringing forth the need to revisit the art amongst the most affected. As an industry folklore of all these forgotten stories will that was the first to get affected, and the last resurrect our tourism again. Few months of storytelling; when to recover, the impact has been most unprec- now down the Covid crisis, I am beginning selling tourism’s edented. Conceptualising this book, it was to believe that tourism itself, as an industry important that we engage senior leadership that is important for the country’s eco- importance as an across hoteliers, travel agents and tour op- nomic activity, needs a new narrative. If we industry in the erators, restaurant and food businesses, indi- are to build tourism, in the manner that we corridors of power, viduals who have been in pivotal roles in the believe it deserves, I believe that we will last few decades. They have been in the need to build our case again, from scratch. we will need a new forefront of the crisis, bearing the brunt of Tell our story, afresh. While selling tour- story to tell. the onslaught;vocal in their expression of the ism to our consumers, we will need to anguish of doing businesses in these times, revisit the art of storytelling; when sell- its impact and the distress surrounding it. ing tourism’s importance as an industry in the corridors of power, we will need a new story to tell. hat have these times meant to them? As indi- This momentous, once-in-a-hundred-years crisis is amidst us, viduals, as corporations and as an industry. and people have drawn an analogy, suggesting we have had such a What has been the impact, the learning and crisis every hundred years. Most of us are not going to witness what in their opinion is the road ahead? another such crisis again, assuming it is a centennial occurring. It I am conscious that our illustrious contribu- also logically follows that that most of those who will see another Wtors have spent considerable time thinking over the ramifications such disruption will not be from amongst us. and documenting them. I remain grateful to each one of them for There are also believers who say that from now on, such occur- taking their time out and putting in their effort for this initiative. DEStiNAtiON INDIA | COVID TIME SPECIAL | 6 We often hear about how the industry has faced various tumults over the years. This too shall pass, but we must acknowledge its un- precedented impact. Typically, crises were lo- calised, such as the plague in Surat, in their effect, perception and the ability to attract visitors at destinations. 9/11 had its effect, rightly stunning the world, but travel did not suffer everywhere, not on all fronts. Domestic tourism remained untouched; there were no curfews and closures, and life went on close to usual. Inbound suffered for some time, but only the tourism sector was affected. Covid-19’s mark has been genuinely unprec- edented on those counts. There was a pan-India lockdown. Air, rail, road, hotels, monuments or local eateries, and every other incentive to travel, had shut doors. If travel was meant to signify Lemon Tree Hotels express their first commitment to society. economic activity, all of it came to a screeching halt – not only in India but across various parts of the globe. The spread of the virus and the clo- Voluntary train- sure on travel were both equally global. ing and mentoring Every component of the composite tourism could become the product – hotels, airlines, restaurants, spas, well- ness – nationally and globally - has been im- new mantra for the pacted, consequently denting millions of jobs. industry. This could The industry, amidst the turmoil, has lent a helping hand and contributed to the national ef- become the new forts in stemming the adverse effects of the Co- benchmark of suc- rona-led disruption. There have been individual and organisational acts of giving, in varying cessful associations measures, driven by the philosophy of individu- at work! als, the hotel chains, and corporations. My one regret has been, mentioned in my columns ear- lier in the year, that these efforts, while retaining their individual with the excep- stamp, could have additionally been given an industry colour, that tion of a few Hotelier Kishore Kaya was Tourism Cares, which would have gone a long way in giving that stand alone ho- among those who lent a big additional mileage to the industry. The restaurant industry did this, tels, the vast can- helping hand to the needy. admirably, when some of the leading restaurant chains also carried vas of Indian the NRAI stamp on their efforts. hospitality needs On the business front, companies, across the board, have been an upliftment in its standards; the newly acquired popularity of confronting the challenge of rationalising costs to ensure survival. webinars can be effectively used to train across segments, across The motto ‘cash is king’ has assumed more significance than ever the country; voluntary training and mentoring could become the before.