The Hotel Association of India (HAI) has renewed its call for hospitality deregulation and infrastructure status for hotels, urging policymakers to accelerate reforms that can unlock India’s tourism potential and support the country’s Vision 2047 goals.
The hospitality industry has intensified its push for policy reforms, with the Hotel Association of India (HAI) calling for infrastructure status, regulatory simplification, and improved ease of doing business at the 7th HAI Hoteliers’ Conclave held at Taj Palace, New Delhi. The event brought together policymakers, tourism authorities, hotel leaders, and industry stakeholders under the theme “Re-Engineering Hospitality.”
Addressing the conclave, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, emphasised that India’s tourism landscape is rapidly evolving from traditional accommodation-led travel to experience-driven tourism. He highlighted that India recorded more than 400 crore domestic tourist visits in 2024, underlining the immense potential of tourism as a driver of economic growth, employment, and regional development.
A key focus of the discussions was the need to remove regulatory bottlenecks that often delay hotel projects and increase development costs. HAI welcomed recent efforts by the Ministry of Tourism and NITI Aayog to examine barriers affecting hospitality investments and reiterated the need for faster approvals, simplified licensing frameworks, and stronger support for destination development.
KB Kachru, President of HAI and Chairman, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, stressed that hospitality must be viewed as a critical economic sector capable of generating jobs, attracting investment, and earning foreign exchange. He noted that India currently has around 225,000 hotel rooms, a number that industry leaders believe is insufficient for a country with growing domestic tourism and ambitions to attract more international travellers.
Former G20 Sherpa and ex-NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant also highlighted the importance of destination development, global branding, and last-mile infrastructure in strengthening India’s position as a leading tourism destination.
The conclave concluded with a strong industry message: achieving India’s tourism ambitions will require not only increased investment but also structural reforms that make it easier to build, operate, and expand hospitality businesses across the country.
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