FAITH’s Annual Conclave to Set Indian Tourism Agenda This Weekend in New Delhi

The captains of India’s travel and tourism industry are gathering once again, reaffirming their FAITH in what tourism can do for the country. They continue to champion tourism as a powerful creator of jobs, a catalyst for economic growth, and an instrument for social transformation, upliftment and inclusive development.

As FAITH, the apex umbrella body representing the combined strengths of India’s travel, tourism and hospitality sectors, holds its annual conclave at Taj Palace, New Delhi, on 16th and 17th July. It brings together the collective aspirations of an industry increasingly central to India’s growth story. The varied programme reflects the diversity of the sector, with every constituent association finding space to showcase its role and contribution.

The two-day conclave brings together both government and industry in equal measure. Representation comes not only from the Union Government but also from leading tourism states, participating as speakers, partners, or both. Among the keynote speakers are Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Representing industry are FAITH Chairman and IHCL Managing Director & CEO Puneet Chhatwal; HAI President K B Kachru, Chairman, Radisson Hotel Group, India and South Asia; WTTC India Initiative Chairperson Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson and Managing Director, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group; among several other industry leaders.

Anurag Thakur, Member of Parliament and a long-standing advocate of the sector, is also scheduled to deliver a keynote address on the importance of tourism to India’s economic future.

The conclave also reaches beyond the industry. Celebrity fireside conversations with Boman Irani and Anupam Kher promise a different perspective, while German Ambassador to India, H.E. Dr Philipp Ackermann, will be in conversation with IATO President Ravi Gosain. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu is expected to outline his vision for positioning the national capital as a global tourism hub.

On the content front, the programme offers both breadth and relevance. Sessions cover MICE tourism, aviation, the future of hospitality, entrepreneurship in tourism, and destination development, with special focus on states including Jammu & Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh. Together, they promise substantial food for thought at a time when domestic tourism continues to gather unprecedented momentum, creating fresh opportunities across the travel, tourism and hospitality ecosystem.

The larger question before the conclave is what comes next for Indian tourism. Industry expectations remain centred on a stronger policy thrust from government, greater ease of doing business, accelerated infrastructure development, and renewed support for international tourism marketing. While domestic tourism has become the sector’s principal growth engine, India also needs a far stronger presence in overseas source markets if inbound tourism is to regain momentum. That aspect has remained relatively subdued in recent years and deserves urgent reconsideration.