The Hotel Association of India (HAI) has hosted the 7th HAI Hoteliers’ Conclave at Taj Palace, New Delhi
The event brought together policymakers, tourism authorities, hospitality leaders and industry stakeholders to deliberate on how India can re-engineer tourism and hospitality to make a larger contribution to the country’s Vision 2047. Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, inaugurated the Conclave.
Held under the theme ‘Re-Engineering Hospitality’, the Conclave examined the structural changes required to enable the hospitality sector to scale sustainably and play a larger role in India’s Vision 2047, with discussions spanning investment, infrastructure, employment, regional development and policy reform.
The Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has sent greetings to the Hotel Association of India on its 7th Hoteliers’ Conclave in New Delhi, noting that the industry carries forward India’s tradition of hospitality rooted in “Atithi Devo Bhava.” The Prime Minister highlighted the rapid transformation of India’s tourism landscape, with better connectivity and infrastructure opening up new destinations, and with religious and spiritual circuits, adventure, wellness and wedding tourism creating new opportunities for businesses, employment and economic activity.
He added that the warmth of human emotions will always be at the heart of hospitality, and a professional who cares for a guest and understands their needs is the face of India’s hospitality that guests will remember forever. Therefore, investing in the skills of our youth and other stakeholders is an important part of enhancing the tourism and hospitality sector. He extended best wishes to HAI and the participants for the success of the 7th Hoteliers’ Conclave.
Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Honourable Union Minister of Culture & Tourism, Government of India, said, “Indian hospitality is entering a new phase, moving beyond rooms and accommodation towards experience-led tourism. With over 400 crore domestic tourist visits in 2024 and a growing middle class increasingly prioritising travel and experiences, India has immense potential to drive tourism-led growth. Our cultural heritage, technology and expanding infrastructure can together shape the next phase of tourism, but realising this opportunity will require scale, speed, confidence and transformation.”
Speaking at the conclave, KB Kachru, President, Hotel Association of India (HAI) and Chairman – South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said, “Re-engineering hospitality must go beyond how we operate—it must reshape how we approach policy, investment, execution and talent. With around 225,000 hotel rooms, India has immense potential to create jobs, attract investment, generate foreign exchange and drive growth. The priority now is to move from policy intent to measurable execution by strengthening infrastructure, connectivity and destination-level delivery, while making India more competitive for global tourism, MICE and weddings.
As our Prime Minister has rightly recognised, tourism is an important pillar of the economy. At HAI, we believe hospitality must be recognised as a national economic priority, with government and industry working together to translate ambition into outcomes and turn India’s demographic dividend into a sustained economic dividend.”
At the Conclave, Amitabh Kant — Former G20 Sherpa of India & Former CEO, NITI Aayog, said, “India’s tourism opportunity is immense, but unlocking it requires a renewed focus on global branding, job creation and destination development. Tourism has a powerful multiplier effect on employment and can be a major engine of growth as India moves towards its larger economic ambitions. We need to promote India at scale, attract more international visitors and strengthen the last-mile infrastructure that shapes the tourist experience—from roads and connectivity to cleanliness and basic services.
Destination management and greater administrative accountability will be critical to turning India’s extraordinary tourism assets into globally competitive destinations. The next phase of Incredible India must therefore be driven by ambition, investment and execution.”
Summing it all, MP Bezbaruah Secretary General, Hotel Association of India and Former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism India said, “Growing global appeal presents a significant opportunity for hospitality. To fully harness this potential, we need to expand capacity, strengthen the ecosystem and create an environment that encourages long-term investment. The Conclave brought together diverse perspectives on how industry and government can work together to accelerate this transformation.”
The plenary session titled ‘Incredible India: Invaluable Economics’ featured Puneet Chhatwal, Chairman, FAITH and Managing Director & CEO, The Indian Hotels Company Limited. The session explored the economic significance of India’s tourism and hospitality sector and its potential to contribute to the country’s broader growth and development. A fireside chat with Rajdeep Sardesai, Senior Journalist and cricket legend Kapil Dev explored leadership, resilience and lessons from sport, offering perspectives relevant to the hospitality industry.
NITI Aayog has also highlighted several of these priorities as critical to unlocking the sector’s next phase of growth. The Conclave brought together policymakers, industry leaders and experts to deliberate on the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of hospitality, including talent and inclusion, tourism and MICE, AI and technology, sustainability, food and beverage, and India’s potential as a global hospitality and tourism destination. The event was attended by over 300 representing hotel chains, industry bodies and allied sectors from across the country.
Shri Suman Billa, IAS, Additional Secretary & Director General (Tourism), Government of India, and Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar, IAS, Secretary (Tourism), Government of India, shared their perspectives on “Unlocking the Potential of Indian Hospitality for a Viksit Bharat 2047.”
Suman Billa continued, “At the same time, we must focus on sustainability, industry-ready skilling and stronger government-industry collaboration. By working together to promote India globally and ensuring a consistent, high-quality hospitality experience across destinations, we can strengthen India’s competitiveness and realise the country’s tourism potential as we move towards 2047.”
Panel Discussion/Sessions names during the 7th HAI Hotelier’s Conclave:
- Programme & Speakers
- Inaugural Session
- Shri M. P. Bezbaruah
- Shri K. B. Kachru
- Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar, IAS
- Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
- Shri Rohit Khosla
- View from the Top – Leaderspeak
- Moderator: Patanjali G. Keswani
- Priya Paul
- Vikram Oberoi
- Anil Chadha
- Shwetank Singh
- Anuraag Bhatnagar
- Incredible India: Invaluable Economics
- Puneet Chhatwal
- Puneet Chhatwal
- Fireside Chat with Amitabh Kant, IAS (Retd.), Former G20 Sherpa of India & Former CEO, NITI Aayog
- Amitabh Kant
- Moderator: Dr. Jyotsna Suri
- Artificial Intelligence – Applications in Hospitality
- Moderator: Ajay K. Bakaya
- Rajesh Magow
- Dr. Dhawal Gupta
- Fireside Chat on Leadership with Cricket Legend Kapil Dev
- Kapil Dev
- Moderator: Rajdeep Sardesai
- New Age Food & Beverage
- Moderator: Raaj Sanghvi
- Chef Nikhil Nagpal
- Chef Naren Thimmaiah
- Chef Doma Wang
- Chef Ammninder Sandhu
- Chef Prateek Sadhu
- Talent Acquisition, Inclusion & Retention
- Moderator: Zubin Saxena
- Keshav Suri
- Natwar Nagar
- Sonica Malhotra Kandhari
- Dr. Vishwanath Joshi
- Leading Ladies of Hotel Operations
- Moderator: Sonali Chauhan
- Meena Bhatia
- Amandeep Kaur
- Asha Deep Sidhu
- Preeti Makhija
- MICE & Wedding Tourism
- Moderator: Rohit Khosla
- Chetan Vohra
- Samit Garg
- Unlocking the Potential of Indian Hospitality for a Viksit Bharat 2047
- Special Address: Shri Suman Billa, IAS
Vote of Thanks
Charulata Sukhija
Dinner hosted by
KB Kachru, President & Members of Executive Committee, Hotel Association of India.
The 7th HAI Hoteliers’ Conclave reaffirmed the importance of sustained government-industry collaboration in shaping a more competitive, investment-ready and future-focused hospitality ecosystem as India advances towards Vision 2047.
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