Publicise hospitality jobs

Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, India, puts emphasis on the need to make politicians aware about the employment generation power of the tourism and hospitality sector in India.

TT Bureau

Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, India, urged the Indian hospitality and tourism industry to highlight its employment-generating potential to politicians and make them aware about the creation of 25 million jobs by 2030, while seeking their help for better infrastructure and status for the sector. “India’s tourism sector has been creating lakhs of jobs every year, which has a huge multiplier impact on every direct job, but somehow the industry has failed to tell the political class that it is a big creator of jobs in the country,” Kant said.

“The tourism sector needs to tell the Centre and state governments that if they pay attention to the sector it will create 25 million jobs by 2030, which is a doable target, while agreeing with their demand for industry status,” he added.

He said, “In every speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he emphasizes on the significance and importance of tourism and how tourism can be the biggest driver of growth. Even the budget spoke about tourism.”
He added: Everybody in government believes that tourism can be a big driver of growth. If the target is put before the political system that 25 million jobs will be created by the tourism sector, it will have a huge impact on the minds of the political system, and they will do everything possible for tourism.” He asserted that pushing the tourism sector as an industry will help at the Centre and state levels.

With the opening of Yashobhoomi and Bharat Mandapam, Kant also urged the industry players to seize the chance in the M!CE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) sector, saying that India now boasts of the greatest convention and expo centres in the world. Elaborating on employment opportunities in the sector, Kant noted that in terms of employment, Thailand creates close to 20 million jobs, Malaysia has about 15 million jobs, whereas India creates 7.8 million jobs from the tourism sector.

Tourism is a $5 trillion economy globally with India’s share in M!CE being less than 2 per cent in the global market, which is over $ 500 billion. Kant said that this is an area where India has lagged behind and which needs to be increased substantially. He was addressing the 6th Hoteliers’ Conclave, organised by the Hotel Association of India (HAI) in New Delhi recently.