Growth in hospitality and leisure, promises an increasing opportunity for the beverages industry in India. As the industry expands and more tourists land on Indian shores, hotels will prosper and be better placed to invest in global brands. International tourists will not just lead to adoption of global standards of service excellence, but also improve beverage portfolios. Indian consumers are still to experience a global portfolio of beverages.
A step up in hospitality, led by hotels, who are normally seen as the first purveyors of luxury goods, will lead to a higher exposure and engagement with luxury spirit brands. In the end, the Indian consumer will be the ultimate beneficiary. The beverage industry is closely associated with hospitality and any developments in the same, impact the spirits industry as well. The last few months have witnessed a setback to India’s position as a tourism destination. With inbound not being as robust, rooms occupancy has been low and traffic in bars also slowed down.
Over the years, hospitality industry has had many successes and new initiatives, though the latest platform promised to “top it all”.
A recent initiative called FAITH, by the Indian Hospitality & Travel industry, promises a major step towards consolidating and combining the industry and working with the government in adopting higher reforms and a better position for India as a destination internationally. Situated in the NCR, FAITH is a non-government, not-for-profit Indian tourism and hospitality led and managed society, aimed at being a catalyst for the growth and development of the travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation, transport, convention, adventure and related industries.
The launch was flagged off by a presentation on the Indian Tourism & Hospitality industry by Nakul Anand, Chairman-FAITH and President-Hotel Association of India, highlighting the potential of the industry, its challenges and the way forward. “FAITH is a consolidated effort of the industry aimed towards creating awareness, particularly at the state level, on the economic imperatives of tourism. We aim to address and collectively brainstorm on the macro dynamics of the industry to ensure tourism its rightful place in India’s growth story”, he said.
A cross-section of representatives from the top 10 national tourism industry associations announced the formation of the country’s first Federation of Association in Indian Tourism & Hospitality; FAITH, at a ceremony held at the ITC Maurya in the presence of Parvez Dewan, Secretary Tourism, and Arun Maira, Member-Planning Commission. FAITH is intended as ‘one common voice’ for the industry, aimed at abetting tourism whilst evaluating opportunities and addressing challenges.
This sounds like a great uplift for The Great Whisky Story and whisky is bound to benefit from this growth. A happier and confident hospitality Industry is a great partner and revenue platform for the beverage partners. With the government supporting the industry, there will a surge in domestic and international tourists.
More bars, better services and a finer range will not just an international positioning for Indian bars but will also expose global brands to India. I am hoping that over the next one year, we will have better stocked bars, more folks in those bars and more folks enjoying better brands in these bars...though responsibly! Have FAITH, it will happen!
sandeep@spiritualwhisky.com