INDIA’S ITC CONGLOMERATE plans to expand its hotel business internationally, focusing on neighboring countries and West Asia. The company recently demerged its hotels division, ITC Hotels Ltd., which will list on bourses in the next couple of weeks.
The listing date for ITC Hotels is yet to be announced but is expected in the "next few weeks," PTI reported, quoting ITC Chairman and Managing Director Sanjiv Puri.
The company aims to expand its portfolio from 140 to more than 200 hotels across India, PTI reported. Formerly a division of ITC, the hotel business will gain operational autonomy post-demerger. ITC shareholders will hold 60 percent of the new unit, with the parent company retaining the rest.
"So, as far as overseas is concerned, we are starting to expand,” Puri was quoted as saying in the report. “We have been India-centric, but we have started to go beyond India. We have a hotel in Colombo, one in Nepal, and another in Nepal that we have signed up for."
"And over time, we will expand overseas, primarily focusing on proximal markets like West Asia. Eventually, we will explore opportunities beyond that as well. If specific interesting opportunities arise, we will consider those too," Puri told PTI.
Operating under six brands—ITC Hotels, Fortune, Mementos, Storii, WelcomHeritage, and Welcomhotel—the group opened its first hotel in Sri Lanka in April last year. The overseas expansion will follow a managed and franchise model.
ITC Hotels is noted for its green credentials, with emissions across all properties below Paris 2030 agreement targets, PTI reported. Additionally, ITC operates the world’s first 12 LEED-certified net-zero carbon hotels and the first five net-zero water hotels.
U.S. President Joe Biden stayed at the ITC Maurya hotel in New Delhi during his visit for the G20 Summit in September 2023. The hotel, located in New Delhi's Diplomatic Enclave, has previously hosted several U.S. presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
ITC Hotels currently has 140 properties with 13,000 rooms, 45 percent owned and 55 percent operated through management contracts. The company is adopting an asset-light growth model, focusing on management agreements to expand its presence.
Meanwhile, Tata Group-owned Indian Hotels Co. aims to double its portfolio to over 700 hotels and grow revenue to $1.8 billion by March 2030 under its "Accelerate 2030" strategy.
Canadian traveler picks Pakistan’s hospitality over India’s
Pakistan Beats India in Hospitality, Says Canadian Vlogger
INDIA IS KNOWN for “Atithi Devo Bhava,” meaning "The guest is God," but some foreigners disagree. A Canadian man, when asked to choose between India and Pakistan for better hospitality, picked Pakistan without hesitation.
His brief interview with an Instagram user has since gone viral, Hindustan Times reported.
Instagram user @officialnamour, known for vox pop videos, recently asked Canadian traveler Nolan Saumure about "desi" hospitality. Saumure, a Canadian travel vlogger, has visited dozens of countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Indonesia, the U.S. and Vietnam.
When asked, “India or Pakistan—which has better hospitality?” Saumure instantly replied, "Pakistan, obviously."
He explained that Indians often see foreigners as wealthy customers, while Pakistanis offer warm hospitality, inviting tourists into their homes and offering food.
"You go to India, and people just see you as a walking ATM," Saumure said. "You go to Pakistan, and people are like, 'Oh, come here, sit. Take this free food. Come sleep at my place.'"
The video has more than 4.4 million views and hundreds of comments, many agreeing with Saumure.
"As an African living in Dubai, I agree with him. Pakistanis are friendlier than Indians. Pakistanis see you as a friend, while Indians see you as a stranger," one user commented. Another added simply, “I agree (I’m Indian).”
“India gets a lot of tourists, so we’re used to it and have built an economy around them,” another Instagram user said. “Pakistan gets only a few hundred tourists a year, so seeing a foreigner is a big deal for them.”
Some criticized Saumure’s opinion, some with racial overtones.
“Why do whites expect princess treatment from Indians after stealing $45 trillion from India?” one user asked.
A whitepaper by the Confederation of Indian Industry and EY projects India’s tourism and hospitality sector will create 6.1 million jobs by 2034. It currently accounts for 8 percent of total employment.