Article authored by: Adrian Artimov, Director of Marketing and Enrolment at Sommet Education
The travel and hospitality industry is one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic industries, which is seen as an economic powerhouse, given its contribution to India’s Gross National Product (GDP). According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), India is ranked 10th among 185 countries in terms of travel & tourism’s total contribution to GDP in 2019. In 2019, the sector’s contribution to GDP was 6.8% of the total economy, amounting to about Rs. 13,68,100 crore (US$ 194.30 billion). As per the report released by the Ministry of Tourism, the sector is estimated to have directly contributed 6.7 percent to the country’s employment in 2019-20. The 2018 WTTC Economic Impact Research has forecasted India will become one of the world’s leading tourism economies, adding 10 million jobs to its market by 2028. Given the country’s huge potential, as is reflected by the tourism and hospitality sector, India is seen as one of the rising stars in the global forum.
Beyond the pandemic, the sector has shown a steady expansion and has created more jobs than before, spearheading growth in the economy, especially over the recent years with the increase in India’s popularity as a global destination. The country, known for its unique natural endowments, culture, and hospitality, is also gaining traction for medical and educational tourism. The branching out of the sector has made hospitality and tourism an important source of revenue, including the foreign exchange for the Indian economy. According to statista.com, the country witnessed an exponential rise in foreign exchange earnings from the tourism industry over the past decade (2009-2019), reaching a new mark of over 30 billion USD.
The sector is seen as a popular career choice among many. Its ability to absorb manpower ranging from semi-skilled to low-skilled and high-skilled workers is playing to the country’s advantage in combatting the unemployment issues. Hence the sector is of great value to the country, which is home to the world’s largest youth population, with the average Indian being 28 years of age. Giving the country’s youth suitable avenues to kick start and further their professional journey is what places the hospitality and tourism sector among the top contributors of growth in the economy.
Hospitality and tourism being a people-centric industry, aims to deliver exquisite, personalized and memorable experiences to its guests. What goes into building great experiences is passionately dedicated work put in by employees, coupled with care and attention to detail.
The growth and prosperity seeping into the tourism and hospitality industry take the country forward both socially and economically. The multifarious allied projects, which the sector supports by promoting better communication, client-relation practices and alleviating service quality (in banking, finance, hotels, restaurants, transport, retail and real estate space) reflect the sector’s impact in boosting the overall development of the country.
Seeing its contribution, the Government of India has also joined in to support the sector in its prerogative of national development and increasing employability by facilitating tie-ups between institutions and industries to produce skilled professionals. The Ministry of Tourism is also supporting and promoting skill development and capacity building courses across the country to enable the generation of a pool of well-trained hospitality aspirants and professionals, which takes the sector as well as the nation to newer beings on a global scale. Hence through the sector, the government and private forces are working conjointly to promote the country’s uniqueness and leverage the same by creating more jobs and creating a better future for all.
At Les Roches Global Hospitality Education in Switzerland, we have been welcoming many Indian students in the Bachelor’s or Master’s programs since decades and we are happy to enable Indian hospitality aspirants and talents to fully develop their potential with us. They are then ready to further embrace an international career in hospitality or contribute to the growth of the tourism industry in India through family businesses, entrepreneurship projects or with major national and international actors developing themselves in the country.
