We must rejuvenate M!CE travel

 

The Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) elects a new leadership team and wants to revive the MICE segment. However, the association continues to struggle to get some relaxation on property tax as well as excise license fees despite making several requests to all state governments.

Hazel Jain

The Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) elected a new set of leadership for the region for the next one year. Sudesh Poddar, a veteran hotelier with business interest in the hospitality industry in Assam and West Bengal, was re-elected as the President of the association in the Managing Committee meeting held after Annual General Meeting of HRAEI in Kolkata on September 10, 2021.

Speaking about the team’s immediate focus areas, the president says, “The foremost aim is to help the revival of the industry after the pandemic. We are trying to extend the number of hours of service for bars and restaurants, especially keeping in mind the festive season ahead. Guests are coming back to eat out. To keep the tempo, we have introduced a mass vaccination drive of hospitality workers in the region. In Kolkata, a large number of our workers are now fully vaccinated. We have collaborated with state governments for this vaccination drive.”

Poddar adds that his team is also urging the government to resume international and domestic flights to improve hotel occupancy. “We have made requests to accommodate more people in banquets and are trying to rejuvenate the MICE segment,” he adds.

However, there are certain areas where they have not been able to make any headway. “In spite of several requests to all state governments we haven’t been able to get any relaxation of property tax. There has been no relaxation of excise license fees too. We have sent several letters and sent delegations to respective departments without any effect. We have met several ministries and relevant government departments with our requests, but we haven’t been able to resolve these issues,” Poddar complains.

Meanwhile, the association is busy conducting several meetings with members through multiple online platforms since the past one year. “Sometimes, we organise hybrid meetings also, to discuss the problems of our industry,” he said. In the past one year the association, under the leadership of Poddar, has strived hard towards bringing relief to the industry, to the maximum, during the critical hours of a devastating epidemic. He made earnest efforts to raise concern over the issues that have been affecting trade and industry in the year of crisis with multiple government agencies and individuals. These include chief ministers, tourism ministers and chief secretaries of the region.

Apart from this, he took the initiative to organise mass vaccination drive for hospitality workers, launch privilege health card in association with AMRI Hospitals for members of HRAEI, along with their immediate family members, and facilitated tie-ups betwen hotels and hospitals to meet COVID bed shortage during second wave of the pandemic. Poddar has been closely associated with HRAEI and FHRAI in different capacities. He has held office as President, HRAEI for four consecutive years, from 2014-2015 up to 2017-2018. He is also a member (Catering Expert) on the Board of Governors of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Kolkata.