Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: Top hotel and travel companies are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming G20 summit in September to fuel business activity.
While the Government directly contracts some hotels and companies for G20-related events, others benefit from spillover business when meetings are held in their cities. Additionally, impromptu meetings and private trips from top leaders are expected to further lift business activity.
Delegates from 29 nations are attending G20 summits across 200 venues in 56 cities this year. While the Government officially expects 150,000 international delegates for the September summit, the number could be even higher as many invitees may bring their families along. This influx of visitors is set to fuel business across a range of properties.
One company set to benefit from the G20 summit is Thomas Cook, which has been contracted by the Government to manage about a third of G20 official business in India. The company will provide airport assistance, en route branding, and hotel assistance, including setting up help desks.
Events such as the recent one hosted at Lemon Tree’s five-star hotel in Aurika in Udaipur, are also set to be revenue-spinners, with the company receiving queries for events in Patna and Rishikesh. Speaking to a national daily, MP Bezbaruah, Secretary General of the Hotel Association of India, said that the G20 presidency has come at an opportune time for Indian tourism and hospitality.
He predicts that it will augment hotel revenues and receipts, with a cascading effect that will see India emerge as a preferred leisure and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination. However, Bezbaruah also notes that the government needs to address significant barriers to investment in the hospitality sector.
