Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Whitepaper: India to add 6.1 million hospitality jobs by 2034

Digital marketing, sustainable tourism and customer service skills in demand

Whitepaper: India to add 6.1 million hospitality jobs by 2034

INDIA’S TOURISM AND hospitality sector is set for significant growth, with the potential to create 6.1 million new jobs by 2034, according to a whitepaper by the Confederation of Indian Industry and EY. Currently, the sector accounts for about 8 percent of India’s total employment.

Titled “Reimagining Workforce Horizons: Employment Landscape in Tourism and Hospitality in India,” the report highlights a strong recovery in the sector, driven by a resurgence in domestic tourism despite COVID-19 setbacks. This growth is expected to continue, with sectoral spending projected to rise 1.2 times by 2034, requiring a skilled workforce.


The report said that of the 6.1 million new jobs expected by 2034, 4.6 million will be for men and 1.5 million for women. This growth underscores the sector's potential for gender inclusion and workforce expansion, while emphasizing the need for strategies to attract and retain female workers, further boosting employment opportunities.

The CII-EY study recommends focusing on specialized skills in areas such as digital marketing, sustainable tourism practices, and advanced customer service to equip the workforce for future demands. These skills will be crucial to meet the evolving needs of domestic and international tourists.

Key initiatives to address the skills gap and enhance career prospects include Gamified Learning Management Systems for continuous development, collaboration with industry associations to create career advancement pathways, and establishing a taskforce under the Ministry of Tourism to standardize skills and educational frameworks across the sector.

The whitepaper stresses the importance of an inclusive workforce, empowering women and marginalized communities. It advocates for policies that incentivize participation, particularly in emerging segments like medical tourism, and proposes a tourism employment index to track trends and provide actionable workforce insights.

The report also highlights the need to integrate Digital Public Infrastructure to position India as a global hub for innovative tourism solutions. This includes granting industry status, offering targeted subsidies, and implementing Employment Linked Incentive schemes to drive job creation.

It also explores the gig economy’s potential for providing flexible employment, particularly during peak seasons, and highlights the rise of Gen Z in the workforce as a driver of more flexible, tech-savvy, and community-driven work environments. These trends are expected to create a dynamic and innovative labor market within the sector.

Looking beyond 2034, the report projects that by 2036-37, the sector will need an additional 6.13 million workers to meet rising demand. Upskilling women and marginalized communities will be crucial in bridging skill gaps and enabling the sector to fully capitalize on its potential for economic growth and job creation.

India's rank on the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024 has risen to 39th, up from 54th in 2021. The sector's direct contribution to India's GDP exceeded $231 billion in 2023, making India the second-largest tourism GDP contributor in the Asia-Pacific region, the report noted.

In conclusion, the CII-EY whitepaper calls for collaboration between the government, private sector, and academic institutions to unlock the tourism and hospitality sector's full potential.

A recent study by Hotelogix found that flexible supplier contracts and cost-effective cloud solutions give Indian mid-segment hotel brands an edge over international competitors.

More for you

AAIB: Fuel Cutoff Triggered Air India Crash—Preliminary
Photo by Basit Zargar/AFP.

AAIB report: Fuel cutoff triggered Air India crash

Summary:

  • A preliminary report on the June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad found fuel to the airplane’s engines was cut off.
  • One pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, the other denied it.
  • Air India will cut international widebody service by 15 percent through mid-July after the crash.

INDIA’S AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT Investigation Bureau’s preliminary report found that fuel to the Boeing 787-8’s engines was cut off, indicating pilot action may have caused the crash. No actions are recommended for Boeing 787-8 or GEnx-1B operators at this stage.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ranju Alex Marriott Honored with Bharat Gaurav 2025 Award
Tripura Star News

Marriott’s Alex receives Bharat Gaurav 2025

Summary:

  • Ranju Alex, Marriott International’s South Asia VP, received the Bharat Gaurav Award 2025.
  • The award, by the Bharat Gaurav Award Foundation, honors outstanding achievements by Indian nationals.
  • She joins past recipients including Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Indra Nooyi and Gaur Gopal Das.

Ranju Alex, regional vice president for South Asia at Marriott International, received the Bharat Gaurav Award 2025 at the British House of Commons in London. The award recognizes her work in advancing diversity, inclusion and gender equity in the Indian workplace.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wyndham & Cygnett inks Pact for India Expansion
Photo credit: The Economic Times

Wyndham, Cygnett ink pact for India expansion

Summary:

  • Wyndham and Cygnett signed a 10-year deal to launch La Quinta and Registry Collection Hotels in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
  • Gurgaon-based Cygnett, founded in 2014, is led by Founder and Managing Director Sarbendra Sarkar.
  • In June, Wyndham CEO Geoff Ballotti announced India expansions at the company’s 2025 Global Conference in Las Vegas.

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS and Cygnett Hotels & Resorts signed a 10-year deal to launch La Quinta by Wyndham and Registry Collection Hotels in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The partnership aims to add more than 60 hotels across the region over the next decade.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marriott hotel expansion South Asia

Ventive, Marriott ink 7-hotel deal for India, Sri Lanka

Summary:

  • Ventive Hospitality entered management contracts with Marriott International for seven hotels with 1,548 rooms in India and Sri Lanka.
  • The deal includes brand debuts in Sri Lanka, Varanasi, Pune, Navi Mumbai and Mundra, with plans for a hotel on Ventive’s leasehold land in Mundra.
  • Three properties involve capital expenditure of Rs 700 to 750 crore and are on Ventive’s balance sheet.

VENTIVE HOSPITALITY ENTERED management contracts with Marriott International for seven hotels totaling 1,548 rooms in India and Sri Lanka, all scheduled to open in 2030. The partnership will increase Ventive’s portfolio from 11 hotels in India and the Maldives with 2,000 keys to more than 4,000 keys in four to five years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Open Hotels by Olive launches AI-powered remote hospitality model with US patent filing

India's Olive debuts AI hotel brand ‘Open’

Summary:

  • Olive by Embassy launched Open Hotels, a remote-operated, AI-native brand.
  • Filed a U.S. patent application for its Remote Hotel Management System.
  • Aims to operate 1,000 hotels in India by 2030 and expand globally.

INDIA’S EMBASSY GROUP hospitality arm, Olive, recently launched Open Hotels, a remote-operated, AI-native hotel brand. The sub-brand plans to integrate 130 hotels and generate $23.5 million or Rs 200 crore in revenue this financial year.

Keep ReadingShow less