India’s tourism and hospitality stakeholders expect that the country assuming G20 Presidency last month followed by multiple meetings lined up throughout the year offer an opportunity to revive the fortunes of the inbound market including the MICE segment.
India is hosting over 200 meetings in more than 50 cities under its G20 Presidency with both the central and state governments also organizing tourism-centric events on the sidelines of these meetings.
Sanjay Wadhawan, Founder & CEO, Earthaa Escapes said, “The hospitality and tourism industry is evidently witnessing signs of growth in a gradual manner. The government has also been taking steps to accelerate tourism growth post covid. The G20 Presidency is one such step that confirms that the industry is set to grow further in 2023.”
“The inbound tourism sector has been slow to recover even though India and international markets have opened borders for tourism. Apart from the spotlight G20 Presidency and the subsequent meetings will bring on India, events planned by both state and central governments will help to create demand in key global source markets,” said Asif Fazlani, Managing Director, Fazlani Natures Nest.
The regional offices of India’s Ministry of Tourism are also hosting excursions to various tourist sites for the incoming delegates. The Central government is also organizing a Global Tourism Summit in New Delhi in April as part of the G-20 Presidency, in which all member countries will participate.
Ashish Sidhra, Co-Founder, Alike.io said, “With India taking over the G20 Presidency, the recall of brand India will grow many folds in top global source markets, driving increased international guest visits to India. The Government of India is aiming to bank on this trend and has finalized “Incredible India! Visit India Year 2023” as its marketing tagline.”
The Indian states including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala and Maharashtra among others that are hosting G20 meetings are utilizing these events to showcase new tourism experiences that are expected to offer new ways for corporates to experience India. For example, Uttar Pradesh is offering delegates visiting next month a taste of ‘Braj’ culture through folk song and dance performances. Braj is a region in India of which a significant area (Mathura-Vrindavan) falls in Uttar Pradesh.
“The G20 represents a mega platform that offers much scope for local MICE operators and local businesses – creating an opportunity to showcase the country’s rich culture, natural beauty and cultural diversity and more importantly, India’s rapidly growing MICE infrastructure and prowess,” said Meera Charnalia – Sr. Vice President and Head – MICE, Thomas Cook (India).
India hoteliers feel that the G20 Presidency and the following series of events offer the industry an opportunity to improve its infrastructure for hosting MICE events.
“The meeting of such repertoire will help us introduce the local areas to a global audience in terms of our capability and capacity. The media mileage will be tremendous lending to the strong positioning of these areas to global audiences. The requirements of such meetings will also ensure the hotels and conference venues get updated with the latest in technology and service, thereby enhancing the overall ecosystem required to host good-profile MICE events. This will generate great employment opportunities in the industry which during Covid had to lose many,” said Sharad K Upadhyay, General Manager, Crowne Plaza Greater Noida.
The Group of Twenty (G20) is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, the US. and the European Union.
The G20 members represent around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.