Page 145 - Hospitality Horizon - February-March 2021

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holidays with residents of metro cities heading
to their nearest leisure destinations.
“It’s going to be leisure and mid-market
hotels that will lead the recovery here,” says
Mandeep Lamba, President, South Asia, HVS
Anarock. “Our knight in shining armour in
India is going to be the domestic traveller, and
everyone is going to start focusing on them like
they have never done in the past.”
“Even with several initiatives in place, we
have still not tapped into the full potential of
leisure tourism in the country,” he continues.
“There are several unexplored and
underdeveloped beaches, wildlife sanctuaries,
heritage sites and hill stations in India which
can be developed into established leisure
destinations but are lagging as they still lack
last-mile connectivity and good infrastructure
facilities, including good quality hotels. For
instance, with the development of the Ram
temple, Ayodhya is likely to become a major
tourist destination going forward. Similarly,
there are several unexplored beaches at driving
distance from cities such as Chennai and
Mumbai that can be developed as tourist
hubs.”
The government initiatives in tourism sector
have been noteworthy. Union Minister of State
for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel
pointed out that even before the pandemic the
Prime Minister already initiated
‘DekhoApnaDesh’ campaign and in the
current situation the focus on domestic
tourism under this campaign will help to
revive the tourism sector of our country.
Recently held Dekho Apna Desh webinars
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hospitality horizon FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021