The second day of the 53rd Federation of Hotels & Restaurant Association of India’s (FHRAI) Annual Convention 2018 started with Mr K J Alphonse, Hon’ble Minister of State for Tourism (IC), Government of India Minister addressing over 1000 Hoteliers & Restaurateurs on the theme “Spiritual & Wellness Tourism”.
The 2nd day at the convention saw a special session on Odisha Tourism by Mr. Biswajit Assistant Director, Odisha Tourism, and six panel discussions on :
• Spiritual & Wellness Tourism – Are We There to Provide the Tourist with a Holistic Tourism Experience? moderated by Ms. Narayani Ganesh, Editor, Speaking Tree,
• Farm to Fork: The New Food Culture as Driver of Tourism moderated by Mr. Sourish Bhattacharyya - Op-Ed Columnist, Mail Today (India Today Group) Founder – Director, Tasting India Symposium.
• Industry Performance & Outlook moderated by moderated by Mr. Vijay Thacker, Director, Horwath HTL.
• Is developing a wellness centre / resort a profitable venture over a simple resort? moderated by Mr. Arvind Varchaswi, MD, Sri Sri Tattva.
and
• Effective Asset Management - Maximising Value moderated by Mr. Sunil Mathur, Hospitality Consultant
Mr Alphonse said, "We lack perfection and that is what we need to strive for. FTAs have gone up by 14 per cent. In the past 4.5 years additional 14.62 million jobs have been created through tourism. Even as India offers some of the best hospitality practices, we still need to adopt certain global practices, for example we should ensure that we usher the guests into restaurants"
Speaking on the significance of Green Hotels & Eco-Friendly Practices in Hotels Dr. Anita Bhatnagar Jain, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh said, " We are Global Trustees and have to leave behind a better earth for our future Generations. Travel & Tourism Industry accounts for 9.6% of India' total GDP. By adopting the Eco-Friendly Practices towards creating Green Hotels, the Hoteliers can contribute significantly in setting an example of a futuristic Industry that is invested in combating climate "
Themed on Spiritual & Wellness Tourism, the Annual Convention has already seen an excellent opportunity for the delegates from across the country networking with top policy makers, captains of industry, top notch entrepreneurs, global experts and distinguished representatives from civil society. Around 1200 delegates from India and abroad are expected to attend this Convention, which includes prominent hoteliers and all major stakeholders from the Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
The convention serves as a platform to showcase the contemporary trends, cutting edge technologies and international best practices in the rapidly growing hospitality Industry. The convention will provide the significant forum in the country for its innovative ideas and suggestions that can turnaround the hospitality industry.
The convention will end on the 22nd September 2018 at 7:00 PM, with Chief Guest Smt. Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Tourism, GOI, conferring the FHRAI Hospitality Awards to noted achievers from the Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
