Anyone who has been part of the hospitality industry has heard this phase very often: ‘1 by 2 please’. And I think it is a good representation of what the government is meting out to the hospitality and travel and tourism industry.
I’m sure you would already be aware, from our various efforts, that hospitality supports more than 10-crore employees. And assuming four in a family, it touches the lives of over 40-crore people in India out of the 110-crore population. And that’s not just some elitist segment; five-star and Michelin restaurants comprise less than 0.1 per cent of the entire ecosystem of food, stay and travel. In addition, we contribute 8.9 per cent of GDP and in a study done a few years ago by the National Restaurant Association of India, we pay more taxes than even the software industry.
And yet, you will be surprised to learn that as per the legal definition (and for the eligibility of any schemes and programmes of the government, it all goes by the letter of the law) we are not, yes that’s right, NOT an industry! And hence we do not get any of the benefits, despite being such a massive employer and tax payer. This has a direct impact on all our input costs, like power, water, zoning, etc. All of which make the hospitality industry more expensive when compared to other countries.
And so, even though we wish to, we are unable to give the maximum value to customers. And it also leads to the feeling that hotels/restaurants charge too much, even for a simple cup of tea, without realising that input costs are so high. The high prices give people the wrong idea – that we are making huge profits.
This feeling regarding the elitism of the industry seems to pervade the thoughts of each and every successive government, which believes that the travel, tourism and hospitality industry is all about elitist owners who do not contribute anything to society (even though the opposite is true).
But I digress. The issue at hand is what happens to our industry going forward. Most property owners and hoteliers are concerned about the future and our ability, both individually and as a sector, to be sustainable. This industry is not taken seriously and, at every level, is always made to compromise and sacrifice. It is taken for granted that they will take care of themselves. And even if we don’t take care of ourselves and suffer, it really doesn’t matter.
And so, we come back to the question of the government always giving our industry practically half of what we really need. It’s as though the government is always giving ‘one by two’. And so, I wonder what the reasoning behind giving ‘one by two’ to such an important sector which has contributed so much to and built the entire economies of several small nations, might be. What might be the reason for this ‘one by two’ attitude?
One reason why the customer asks for ‘one by two’ is that – and most of us have been there – like school or university students, they have little money to shell out, and would still like to experience the fancier places, despite being out of pocket. It might mean a slush ‘one by two’ or even a burger ‘one by two’. It’s about maximising resources. And maybe it’s the same with the government. Intentionally offering less because they just don’t have the funds, and yet would like to give just enough, so that this industry is still around.
Or maybe it’s like the customer who is just not that hungry. And cannot eat a full portion but would like to consume only a little bit to ‘fill the space in his tummy’. And maybe that’s why the government gives us little support. Perhaps they feel the industry is already saturated and needs just a little bit of support to ‘fill the gap’.
Or maybe it’s like the customers who, seeing each other after a long time, and showing how deeply they are infatuated or even in love, would like to share everything ‘one by two’. Maybe we, as an industry, cannot see that the government loves us so much that it only gives half of what’s really needed.
It’s sad to think, that economies which were much, much, behind us, have gone ahead, simply by focusing on food culture and heritage. That’s all they really pushed. Look at the economies of Dubai, Malaysia, Thailand and even Sri Lanka. Some, like Dubai, have managed to just recreate and sell other people’s food, heritage and culture! These countries have literally imported people, from our very own country, and built their economies on our sweat! The same people who are a liability here are converted to assets there. By making tourism infrastructure. And travel and tourism are what these economies have tapped to create a multiplier effect that has accelerated their earlier negligible economies.
The only way to preserve one’s heritage is by showcasing it. Art has no life if not displayed. Music cannot stay alive without audiences. And food has no future if not consumed.
I really hope we tap our enormous and talented human potential to ensure we boost the huge advantage we have that others don’t. We ought to do this by becoming a service economy superpower. We became a software services superpower. And it’s high time we do it by offering support to accelerate our hospitality services. And not be offered the perpetual ‘one by two’.