Category: Interview

They say every crisis brings with it certain opportunities. The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted the travel and tourism sector to an unimaginable extent yet it throws open new possibilities. Once we see the back of this virus, many people would want to travel domestically to places like Kerala to reduce the stress that has piled on, says Anish Kumar P.K, CEO of The Travel Planners, in an interview. Excerpts: Q: What Is the future of travel after Coronavirus? A: The current coronavirus crisis is impacting everyone’s lives. We can no longer go out to the movies, see our friends, and ... Read more

I am sure the impact of the killer virus Covid-19 has created sleepless nights for millions of people around the globe. The most devastated sectors – tourism and travel – are at a standstill. But it is not the time to find fault or beg for financial packages from governments, which are looking only to save millions of lives. Kerala’s tourism industry leaders had sought financial but I felt it was too early and had no backing of data. Many of them were excited when the word “moratorium” without understanding the financial burden which will add up later. I would ... Read more

The corona virus pandemic will change the tourism sector forever. It will change the way the sector will do its business, maintain its hygiene and treats its guests. In an interview, Hycinth Hotels Manager S K Sinha says considerable damage has been done to the morale of the employees and that’s probably more difficult to measure than the actual loss in monetary terms. Excerpts: Q: The hospitality industry is going through probably its worst ever phase in history. Did you think that the crisis would end up having such a devastating effect on the industry? A: Definitely no. This pandemic ... Read more

As a progressive measure to sustain livelihoods of those employed in the tourism sector, the Kerala state government should announce a job retention scheme in the wake of the corona virus pandemic, the Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI) has suggested. ATTOI said the government may pay the salaries of tourism employees in the private sector, so that the industry gets some time to crawl out of the crisis. The tourism sector has been heavily impacted due to booking cancellations, resulting a massive drop in inbound tourism. The sector is likely to lose more than Rs 20,000 crore as ... Read more

Firstly, the coronavirus outbreak is a human tragedy, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. It is also having a growing impact on the global economy and the impact would depend on how long the epidemic lasts. Travel and tourism industry has been hit economically due to outbreak of coronavirus with many prospective domestic and foreign tourists cancelling their travel plans. This global pandemic has prompted the Indian government to impose increasingly tough restrictions on travel resulting in further drop in hotel occupancies since the imposition of the ban. Here I would like to emphasize on a few points how the ... Read more

There is an imminent need for pricing to be cut down for the houseboat industry to survive. Pricing should be kept under check till at least December. In an interview, Sreekumar, Director of Sree Tours, Kumarakom, says certification should be provided to all boats depending on the hygiene standards. The government should look to provide a year-long tax holiday for tour packages, he adds. Excerpts: Q: The houseboat industry is going through probably its worst ever phase. Did you think that the crisis would end up having such a devastating effect on the industry? A: Yes, it’s going to be ... Read more

The tourism sector is about to undergo a transformation. There is bound to be significant restructuring especially in the hospitality sector and wage correction is expected at the top managerial levels. In an exclusive interview, Sajan Joseph, CEO and Co – Founder at BreakOut Hotels tells us the importance of keeping cash reserves. Liquidity is so important to tide over such a crisis, he feels. Excerpts: Q: The hospitality industry is going through probably its worst ever phase in history. Did you think that the crisis would end up having such a devastating effect on the industry? A: Who would ... Read more

The hospitality sector has been ravaged by the corona virus pandemic, with booking cancellations at a record high. In an interview while detailing the impact that the outbreak is having on the sector, UDS Hotels CEO Dr.Raja Gopaal Iyer says it’s important for hotels to control the costs going forward. Iyer says the strategy should be to depend more on technology and reduce manpower costs. Excerpts: Q: The hospitality industry is going through probably its worst ever phase in history. Did you think that the crisis would end up having such a devastating effect on the industry? A: I am ... Read more

The state government should extend licenses for another six months without the entrepreneur having to make any payment, including bar licenses which are due for renewal shortly. In an exclusive interview, industry veteran Jose Dominic of CGH Earth Group, says a moratorium needs to be declared in this crisis situation to help the sector. If you don’t give a moratorium for loans then all of the tourism industry will become bankrupt, he says. Excerpts: Q: Corona virus has impacted Kerala’s tourism fortunes to a very large extent. Can we attach a value to the loss incurred to Kerala tourism due ... Read more

Kerala’s tourism sector is currently assessing the kind of loss incurred due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation has become worse than initially expected, but the resilient tourism sector in Kerala has bounced back in the past against such difficulties. In an interview EM Najeeb, chairman and managing director of Airtravel Enterprises Group of Companies tells us how the state can recover over the next six months. Excerpts: Q: Can you brief us about the kind of losses that the tourism sector is facing due to the outbreak of the corona virus? A: The corona virus has ... Read more

The corona virus outbreak has hit the tourism sector hard, in an unprecedented manner. In an interview, S Swaminathan , Managing Director of Dravidian Trails Holidays Pvt Ltd., Cochin, Kerala tells us why we can’t have a fixed time-frame for revival of the sector. He feels all stakeholders should spread the positive news about all the precautionary measures taken by the authorities. The authorities should now give the sector the required benefits that will help the tourism entrepreneurs rebuild the business. Excerpts: Q: Corona virus has impacted Kerala’s tourism fortunes to a very large extent. Can we attach a value ... Read more

Kerala’s leading hotels and resorts are confident that the current gloomy scenario that has risen out of the corona virus pandemic, will be a temporary phenomenon. The various representatives of the hospitality sector have said that normalcy will return within a few weeks, as governments around the world are trying their best to contain the health hazard. Dr.Raja Gopaal IyerCEOUDS Hotels “We have taken precautionary measures regarding basic hygiene of all their employees and existing guests. Business was going on good as usual. But because of sudden outbreak of COVID19 there have been cancellations. Corporate clients have deferred the original ... Read more

The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations, India (ATTOI), in association with Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, is all set to host the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) in Kochi to address the challenges related with technology faced by Indian tourism and hospitality industry. The third edition of ICTT will have a separate session on attracting Chinese tourists to Indian destinations, especially Kerala. Richard Matuzevich from China will speak on the topic ‘How to do social media tourism promotion to get Chinese tourists. Excerpts from an interview with Richard Matuzevich… With the volume of outbound guests, Chinese tourists are ... Read more

A veteran in the travel and tourism industry in India, E M Najeeb, Senior VP of IATO and President of the Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry, has seen many changes including the rise and fall of tourism and the golden rise of the God’s own Country. The tourism industry veteran brings with him a wealth of experience. Tourism News Live spoke to EM Najeeb about his experiences and his thoughts on tourism and the outlook over the next few years. Tourism brings people together from all over the world. How do you see the role of tourism in society? The world ... Read more

Karita Aaltonen hails from Finland, which is one of the world’s most northern and geographically remote countries and is the world’s happiest country. But, however, Karita feels that Kerala is the most beautiful place in the world. She was in Kerala in June 2018 for a 10-day Yoga Ambassadors Tour, organized by ATTOI (Association of Tourism Trade Organisations, India). Karita is now back in Kerala with a group of 13 women from Finland. “We had a very beautiful trip here in Munnar. I Love this place. Kerala is the most beautiful place in the world. And, I wish every one ... Read more