The hospitality and restaurant industry have been the worst hit during the past two years of the pandemic. Just as things began to pick up gradually, stakeholders were beset by yet another disturbing third wave of the virus.
Needless to say that, once again, this has started adversely affecting businesses and livelihood of people working in the industry. Hoteliers are keenly looking towards the upcoming Union Budget for some relief and support for recovery.
Col. Manbeer Choudhary, CMD of Jewels Group pointed out the industry is not seeking large scale reforms and special packages, but there is no denying that there is a dire need to consider the timely restrictions imposed every time pandemic evolves. “While the Government of India has been very supportive with its progressive policies for the hospitality industry, this time the industry needs more protection and backing to survive and stay afloat,” he opined.
The first step on this journey could be revisiting the GST structure to reduce complexity. This would be a welcome move for most hoteliers. “Varied GST for different products and services creates confusion,” Col Choudhary stated. “Reduced GST on the services which currently come under high levels would make services more affordable and help in getting better business volumes.” Also easier loan facilities for MSMEs and subsidies would aid the recovering domestic businesses.
An honoured recipient of many awards for his service in the Indian Army, Col Choudhary launched the 4-star Hotel Jewel’s followed by the luxury Noor Mahal Palace hotel at Karnal. He believes that India has a lot of enriching travel experiences to offer. Promoting these incredible domestic travel experiences and destinations would help in increasing traction and add new life to the business in domestic travel. “This will help the Indian hospitality industry to recover losses and get back on the path to growth,” Col Choudhary reiterated.
