New Delhi, August 21: Leaders in the tourism and hospitality industries believe that the anticipated 100% occupancy rates during the upcoming G20 Summit will only be a short-term benefit compared to the longer-term effects of the government’s choice to hold 200+ meetings across India in the lead-up to the significant two-day gathering beginning on September 9.
According to K.B. Kachru, Chairman Emeritus, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, what the lead-up to the G20 Summit has done for India is exposed the globe to the range of our tourist offerings and positions the country as a legitimate MICE (Meetings Incentives Conventions Exhibitions) destination.
India has always been seen as China’s less developed Asian relative in comparison to the Pacific Rim and ASEAN nations in the $876.42 billion global MICE market.
India can now legitimately expect a larger share of the global MICE pie with the opening of the Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi and by showcasing the cutting-edge convention centres in Hyderabad and Gandhinagar, according to Navin Berry, the founder-editor of “Destination India” and a longtime industry expert.
Satyajeet Krishnan, Area Director (Operations) and General Manager, The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi, elaborated on this subject, stating that unlike the Olympics, when interest in a location ceases with the Games, the G20 Summit would have a cascading impact since it is really a business summit. I anticipate that in the months and years to come, there will be several corporate delegations visiting India. The Bharat Mandapam, he said, is in reality a “brilliant showcase” of what India has to offer the rest of the world.
Krishnan noted that the B20, the summit of the G20 business leaders, will be held in New Delhi starting on Tuesday, August 22, even as the world gets ready for the G20 Summit, which, incidentally, attracts more than 40 delegations from the member countries, associations, and multilateral organisations such as the World Bank and IMF.
Krishnan highlighted that interactions like this will continue beyond the G20 Summit, stating that throughout the previous year, corporate executives had been exposed to parts of India they had never visited.
In the months leading up to the G20 Summit, 200 ministerial and track meetings were conducted in 60 places, and attendees included not just the 19 G20 countries but also nine invitee countries and 14 international organisations.
A hotel industry consultant named Mandeep Lamba described this as “a unique opportunity for the Indian travel and tourism industry.”
He said: “Industry watchers noted that thousands of delegates from 110 different nationalities visited India and were exposed to the nation beyond the ‘gateway’ cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata because the meetings were held in diverse locations like Kumakom and Srinagar, Shillong and Gandhinagar, Varanasi, and Goa.
According to Lamba, who was elaborating on the significance of these gatherings, “We have been able to showcase our country’s rich heritage, cultural diversity, and unique tourism experiences not only to the international delegates of these meetings, but also to the entire world, thanks to the global media coverage these events received.”
The typical accommodation prices and occupancy rates in the host cities have dramatically risen in the days leading up to the Summit, he said.
Even Kachru anticipated an increase in leisure and business travel to these locations, which is excellent news for the gateway cities as well as everyone travelling into India must first land and spend the first night in one of these towns.
Beyond the Golden Triangle, India is becoming more well-known, according to Kachru.
To add a personal touch, Krishnan said he had been speaking with a few ambassadors recently, and they couldn’t stop raving about Hampi, the former Vijayanagara empire capital, and its potential for business and tourism.
