Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena shared his efforts to help the sector at the BW HOTELIER Indian Hospitality Summit and Awards 2022

It won’t be wrong to say that the hospitality, travel and tourism and F&B sectors drive the most foreign exchange and employment generation in India, said Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena as he addressed the august gathering at the BW HOTELIER Indian Hospitality Summit and Awards 2022. Gracing the occasion as Chief Guest for the Gala Awards night on Day 2 of IHA-2022, Saxena said the hospitality industry provides huge support to the country’s economy, having provided various types of jobs to over 300 million. “The unique quality of the industry is that a very qualified professional as well as an unqualified person are linked to it,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ramped up the efforts to increase tourism in the country with schemes like Dekho Apna Desh. 

Speaking on the status of the hospitality industry in the National Capital, he said, “The hospitality industry in Delhi is facing several challenges, including licencing issues due to multiple agencies, multiple documents and repetition of documents which are hindering its growth. Sometimes, it happens that if someone wishes to open a restaurant, they face a number of hurdles. I recently appointed a committee to assess the number of documents the industry players need to submit and to which agencies.” He shared the committee will assess how the industry can be brought under the umbrella of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and how the processes can be made online. The report is expected to be submitted by November 15, post which he hopes to give some respite to the hospitality players in Delhi. “It is unfortunate the industry that generates so much employment and forex is facing hurdles. Today, I want to assure the stalwarts sitting here that I will provide them a level-playing field in Delhi,” he said.

Saxena also shared that since 2016, there were a lot of players whose applications were pending with the government. “I’m happy to announce that nearly 314 such applications have been cleared to give their services in Delhi round-the-clock. It is my vision to improve night economy in Delhi and I request all to file applications with MCD online and take permission to operate restaurants at night. I also want to share that since last week, when I allowed it, we have received 84 applications of which 79 have been cleared. We will continue to work at this pace and ensure the growth of the industry,” the Delhi LG said. He then talked about the upcoming G-20 Summit that will be held in India. “It is a challenging task but also a big opportunity for the hospitality industry. I request everyone here to collaborate with us and ensure the delegates get the message that India is number one nation in hospitality and unparalleled in its service,” he said. 

Asserting small steps can help the industry, Saxena shared that under the Dekho Apna Desh scheme, he has instructed 11 universities in Delhi to send at least 100 of their students to the different parts of India allowing them to explore the culture as well as development works in those areas. He shared that the universities are working on this. He also said that efforts are on to update fire safety norms according to modern requirements in the National Capital as the ones in force were created around about five decades ago. “I’m happy that BW Businessworld undertook this programme and we should attempt to figure out how more and more people can be attracted towards the industry. I wish to tell the winners of the awards at the IHA-2022 that despite the pandemic, the way they have continued to keep the industry afloat is worthy of praise,” he said.

The Chief Guest also felicitated Kul Bhushan Kachru, Chairman Emeritus and Principal Advisor, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group with the Hall Of Fame Award.

IHA-2022 was the 6^th edition of BW HOTELIER Indian Hospitality Summit and Awards, and the two-day event returned in a phygital format after a gap of two years, after the event was skipped in 2021 due to the losses that everyone faced in the second wave of the pandemic. For this event, several brands decided to partner with BW HOTELIER. Daikin India, headed by its Chairman and MD, Kanwal Jeet Jawa, was the Presenting Partner for the event while Taj Palace New Delhi was the Host Partner. Radisson Hotel Group, Chalet Hotels, ITC Hotels, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Royal Orchid Hotels, Harman Professional Solutions, Lucaris, FPG, Beanly, RMS, Eleven Inc, Joy Travels and Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board were also among the partners of the event, while among the supporters of IHA 2022 were HPMF, AWESOME, HOTREMAI, IPHA, IWH, MEPA, GHTP, IFCA, Indian Culinary Forum, Les Clefs d’Or and NRAI.