Highlights
- India hospitality hiring projects 5.1 percent in H1 FY2026-27.
- Indore, Kochi and Lucknow top regional hiring list.
- Sector GDP seen nearly doubling to $523 billion by 2034.
Jobs are expected to grow across hotel operations, food and beverage, event management, travel coordination and wellness tourism, according to The Economic Times. Sales and marketing is where most companies want to hire, with 53 percent planning to expand those teams. Business continuity follows at 49 percent, with finance at 36 percent. The focus is clearly on bringing in more customers, building digital presence and keeping finances in order.
"While the 5.1 percent net employment change reflects a moderation from the previous half year, it is more accurately a phase of stabilization within a structurally expanding sector," said Balasubramanian A, TeamLease senior vice president. "Demand is increasingly being shaped by infrastructure-led tourism development and schemes such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and PM GatiShakti, alongside rising MICE and religious travel flows. This is translating into more disciplined, demand-linked hiring rather than anticipatory workforce expansion across the ecosystem."
Regional markets rise
Business travel, MICE, religious tourism and domestic leisure travel are all picking up. Add to that the growing interest in Tier 2 and Tier 3 destinations and the sector plenty to keep it moving forward.
Last year, Horwath HTL said India's hotel industry was on track to cross 300,000 rooms by 2029, adding more than 100,000 new ones, with religious tourism, rising incomes and new infrastructure projects driving much of that growth.
Sarovar Hotels recently opened two properties in Jaipur and Mathura, with a clear eye on pilgrimage, leisure and wedding travelers. Last year, the Ministry of Tourism announced plans to set up city-level convention bureaus from 2026, with the goal of making several Indian cities bigger players in the global MICE market.
Among cities, Indore, Kochi and Lucknow are emerging as strong hiring ground, with expansion intent of 20 percent, 18 percent and 15 percent respectively. Better road and air links, more spending power and a steady flow of travelers are making these cities attractive for hospitality businesses.
Pilgrimage towns and newer tourism spots are also picking up, meaning jobs are no longer just concentrated in the big metros. Salaries are also expected to go up, with the sector projecting an increment of 9.2 percent by rising disposable incomes, better regional connectivity and growing travel demand.
The bigger picture looks good. The sector is expected to nearly double its GDP contribution, going from $256 billion in 2024 to $523 billion by 2034 and could support close to 63 million jobs along the way. For now, the focus is on building teams that are ready to deliver, not just filling seats.
Separately, a recent Hotelivate-Savills report in April found India's hotel development pipeline crossed 120,000 rooms in 2025.
