Strong domestic travel has again saved the day for Indian hospitality, although the West Asia war has impacted inbound traffic to the country, like many others globally.“Over 40% of people flying to India (and other parts of Asia from the west) do so via the Middle East (West Asia). That has slowed down inbound. The good news is local travellers are changing their trip destinations and staying largely within the country. They are not staying home but still hitting the road,” David Marriott, chairman of the board of Marriott International, told TOI Thursday.After slipping in March, business has returned to normalcy. “Right as the conflict started, we saw a lot of cancellations. In March, the first full month, we were projecting double-digit revenue per available room (Revpar) growth in India. That turned negative. Then we saw people pivoting. Travel didn’t stop and plans got shifted. In April, Revpar growth shifted from flat to marginally positive and last month we were back to double digit growth. This month looks exactly the same and forward bookings are pretty strong,” said Rajeev Menon, Marriott’s president for Asia Pacific (excluding China).The world’s largest hotel company is upbeat on a strong bounce back once the conflict ends. “The way we bounced back post the pandemic, travel will be back. And, stronger than before,” Marriott said.He said that India’s resilience, economic prowess and growing middle class have made the chain bet big here. “India will soon be the third biggest market in terms of presence, overtaking Mexico, and behind our home country, US, and China,” he said. Marriott has 6,000 hotels in the US, followed by 700 in China, just under 300 in Mexico and 220 in India. With a strong pipeline, India will soon overtake Mexico. Given the rising might of outbound travel from India, all hospitality majors are looking to tap the opportunity.“India has an incredible hospitality culture, one of the finest in the world. We have taken a large number of professionals from India (to work in properties abroad) and now that we are on our way to have 300-plus hotels here, they are coming back to work here in their home country,” Marriott said.India’s importance can be gauged from the fact that the company opened its landmark 10,000th property in Ranthambore. “My father (chairman emeritus J W Marriott Junior) is 94 and he wanted to be around when we reached that landmark. On Wednesday, after the inauguration I called and told him ‘it’s done’. In India, and that too a JW Marriott — a brand named after his father. He was thrilled. To top it up, this happened on the birth anniversary of my mother Donna Garff Marriott who we lost last Dec. It was an emotional moment for us both from the company and a personal perspective,” Marriott said.
