News Category: Press Release

Raksha Bandhan, a day celebrating the bond of love shared between brothers and sisters, is just around the corner, and to make this occasion more special, The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi has designed special Rakhi gift hampers for your loved ones.

The specially crafted luxurious hamper includes delectable fruit cake, handmade nut molded chocolates, mouth-melting brownies, cookies, and cheese straws. Furthermore, for the diet conscious, a cookies hamper has been curated including an assortment of whole wheat, multigrain, and oats cookies.

Committed to placing health and safety on top priority, while retaining traditional hospitality, the hamper has been created while adhering to all the COVID protocols.

The hampers are available starting at INR 450/- (Exclusive Tax).

Date: 19th August, 2021 to 23rd August, 2021


Venue: The Cake Shop – The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi

A grand felicitation ceremony was organised by The Ashok Hotel honouring the athletes

National, August 18, 2021: The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi, flagship property under India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC), a public sector undertaking under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, dazzled with immense pride and glory as the hotel hosted Tokyo Olympics medallists and other athletes who represented India at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Wrapped in the tri-colour, the hotel buzzed with enthusiasm as it welcomed the Tokyo Olympics gold-medal winner Neeraj Chopra followed by PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Lovlina Borgohain, Bajrang Punia, India men’s hockey team and the rest of contingent. Ensuring the best in class hospitality, the Chefs served specially curated cuisine offering the taste of locale. The famous Churma, a well-known delicacy of Haryana was served to Neeraj celebrating his historic win. The highlight of the menu was in-house culinary innovation, Dal Raisina made from whole black lentils (Urad Dal) and tomato puree flavoured with saffron, followed by rabri & jalebi.

Sharing his delight about hosting the Indian contingent, Shri. GKV Rao, Chairman & Managing Director (ITDC) said, “The Indian Contingent of Tokyo Olympic 2020 is a source of inspiration for all of us, the joy & cheer that they have given us is unparalleled. India started its campaign with a Silver medal from weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and they ended the campaign with a historic gold medal when Neeraj Chopra won the Men’s Javelin gold. We are humbled to be part of this momentous occasion & look forward to more such opportunities.”

Taking about his experience, Chef Arvind Rai, Executive Chef, The Ashok Hotel said, “We are honoured to have an opportunity to host the champions of the Tokyo Olympics. The menu was curated according to their preferences and diet. We also had a chance to interact with several players and talk about their fondness for particular food and their favourite dishes.”

The Olympians were felicitated by the hotel during the grand ceremony which was organised by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and was attended by Shri. Anurag Thakur, Union Minister Of Sports & Youth Affairs GOI, Shri Nisith Pramanik, Minister of State, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports GOI and other key dignitaries.

National, 12th July, 2021: In a bid to revive tourism and strengthen bilateral relationship between India and Saudi Arabia, Trade Promotion Council of India organised a webinar on Tourism Collaboration between India and Saudi Arabia with the support of embassies of both countries.

Eminent panellists included HE Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia; Mr. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, IAS, C&MD, ITDC; Mr. Augustus Simon, Director Indian Subcontinent – Saudi Tourism Authority; Mr Ashok Sethi, Director, Trade Promotion Council of India; various industry stakeholders and partners.

Speaking on strengthening Tourism Collaboration between India and Saudi Arabia, Mr. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, IAS, C&MD, ITDC, on behalf of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, said, “India holds 10th position globally as far as Medical Value Tourism is concerned, due to affordability, accessibility, and availability of medical facilities. It is the 7th dominating country in the world and 3rd in Asia Pacific region in terms of wellness tourism. India has received 4.95 lakh medical tourist in 2017 which has gone up to over 7 lakhs in 2019. With 800 NABH and 36 JCI accredited hospitals, India is a viable destination for medical facilities due to a robust ecosystem which is already well developed. Medical Value Tourism (MVT) is one of the 10 champion sectors identified by the Government of India, and we are perhaps the only country in the world with a dedicated Ministry of alternate healing and traditional medicine, the Ministry of AYUSH, which promotes Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy medicine. Ayurveda is taking off in a very big way world-wide, with its proven efficacy in the post-COVID recovery phase.”

In addition to MVT, it was highlighted that India can offer Saudi Arabian tourists a vast sea-coast with pristine beaches and a huge forest cover with 566 wildlife sanctuaries and 104 National Parks which are a great alternative to wildlife tourism offered by Africa, for example. India is also promoting MICE sector in a big way and while people from Saudi Arabia might find it cheaper to visit Dubai for events, India is definitely more economical destination.

Referring to the country’s diverse natural heritage, Mr. Rao mentioned India’s costal tourism with 7500 km of coastline as well as about the exquisite experience of monsoon tourism in Karnataka and Kerala. He also talked about the renewed thrust on reviving tourism in the wide snow-capped landscape of Kashmir and in scenic Leh and Ladakh as well as on the special focus of developing tourism in nature-rich North East. Also, as a boost to International tourism in India, Mr. Rao highlighted that Indian Government has announced issuing of free tourists visas for first 5 lakh tourists once visa issuance is restarted.

With HE Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia emphasizing on lifting of tourism restrictions for tourists and on tailor made tourist packages centring around medical tourism, religious tourism, heritage tourism, nature tourism, and ecotourism, both India and Saudi Arabia are looking forward to a strong synergy for the revival of tourism.

New Delhi, 17 June, 2021: Ashok Travels and Tours (ATT), the Travel division of India Tourism Development Corporation, New Delhi (ITDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Under the MoU, ATT will provide online travel solution for booking air tickets and travel-related services to 414 units and commands of CISF during official journeys.

The MoU was signed by Shri. Rajiv Anand GM (ATT) and Shri. V K Yadav, AIG Admn on 16th June 2021, in the presence of senior officials from both organizations.

Sharing details about the MOU signing, Shri. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, C&MD, ITDC said, “The travel industry has been severely impacted with the ongoing pandemic. We are honored that CISF has given us an opportunity to provide an essential service to them. We look forward to helping CISF in Resource optimization and facilitating optimal planning.”

ITDC has been working continuously with all the stakeholders to aid the community at large in these testing times.

 

XX January, 2021, New Delhi: Ashok Institute of Hospitality & Tourism Management (AIH&TM), a certified hospitality training institute under India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has signed an MOU with The National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIEUSBUD) to introduce a tailor-made program in ‘Entrepreneurship Development’ exclusively designed for the graduates in the tourism & hospitality industry.

The MOU was signed by Sh. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, C&MD, ITDC and Ms. Neelam Shammi Rao, Director General (NIESBUD)/ Additional Secretary in Directorate General of Training, Govt. of India at a meeting at The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi, which was attended by Sh. Piyush Tiwari, Dir. (C&M), ITDC, Sh. Harsh Kumar Bhutani, General Manager-HRD, Dr. (Smt.) Poonam Sinha, Dir. (Entrepreneurship Education), International & Head Regional Centre, Dehradun, NIESBUD & Sh. Pradeep Kumar Arora, Senior Advisor, NIESBUD.

Sharing details about the MOU signing, Shri. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, C&MD, ITDC said, “The tourism & hospitality industry has been severely impacted due to the ongoing pandemic and though we are making strides on the road to recovery, collaborative efforts from all stakeholder will be key to return to Pre – COVID levels. The MOU with NIEUSBUD will help drive growth trajectory in the industry by assisting graduates in the hospitality and tourism sector opening newer doors of employment.”

Under the ‘Entrepreneurship Development Programme’, graduates from hotel management institutes as well as recently unemployed and other experienced hospitality professionals would be provided with the non-financial support for running a catering and other hospitality-related establishments (canteen/café, Event Management, Manpower Services, Banquet services, Pest control, Packaged foods, etc.) in government and private offices/institutions and other commercial buildings in various locations.

The Pilot Project of the Entrepreneurship Development Programme will be based at Delhi/NCR and after the success of the same, will be implemented in other states of the country in coordination with State Tourism Departments.

Hospitality major India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC), under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India observed ‘Vigilance Awareness Week’, from October 27 to November 02, 2020.  With the theme “Vigilant India – Prosperous India”, the events opened with an integrity pledge taking ceremony on the first day which was conducted digitally. The ceremony was presided over by Shri G K V Rao, C&MD, ITDC along with Shri Piyush Tiwari, DCM, ITDC; CVO Shri B B Dash, Director, MoT, Govt. of India and ITDC staff and executives.

The primary motto of the activities throughout the week was to create awareness amongst the employees and other stakeholders against corruption and promoting integrity in every aspect of life. Among the array of activities, ITDC organised a vendor’s interaction meet and workshops/sensitization programs for employees on policies/procedures of the organisations, in order to promote transparency at work and better coordination among different departments. In addition, a session on delay in tendering procedure was conducted by Shri Ashish Goyal from IIT, Dhanbad. A session on E-procurement was also conducted by Sh. M C Panda, former Additional Secretary, Govt. of India as a part of promotion of transparency in ITDC.

A slogan writing competition was held on the occasion of Vigilance Awareness Week at Ashok Institute of Hospitality & Tourism Management, (AIH&TM). Slogans made by the students such as “Vigilance of everyone is safety for all, Negligence of anyone brings danger to all”; and “Pollution by corruption leads to our destruction” emphasised on how corruption affects development of a country and their take on the importance of vigilance in the country.

ITDC & all the stakeholders ensured to adhere to the COVID 19 safety protocols while observing the vigilance awareness week.

Subsequent to the order issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), permitting hotels
to operate in the state capital, the iconic dine-in restaurant The Oudh at The Ashok, famous for offering
an exquisite dining experience, is all set to welcome the guests in its new avatar of an open-air
restaurant.

Operating from the lawns of the hotel amidst the amazing Lutyen’s settings, the restaurant is offering its
choicest spicy and flavorful Shorbas, Kababs, Biryanis, and Quormas in the majestic candlelit dinner set,
while adhering to all health and safety guidelines prescribed for the pandemic.

Speaking about the offering, Mr. Vijay Dutt, General Manager, The Ashok Hotel said, “The idea behind
taking The Oudh outdoors is to offer a unique culinary experience to our guests in a splendid ambience
complemented by our spacious gardens. We are ensuring all hygiene and safety SOPs are followed by the
staff at all times. It is a small step that we have taken towards a new road and look forward to bring
many more such innovative F&B initiative to our patrons.”

Sharing details about the new dining experience, Chef Arvind Rai, Executive Chef, The Ashok Hotel said,
“Over the past few months ITDC has been continuously working towards enhancing SOPs on the health,
safety and sanitation guidelines. Regular temperature checks and sanitization are being ensured in the
dining area to maintain hygiene and safety. The menu will be the same as offered in The Oudh restaurant
and both A-La Cart and Buffet for dinner will be available.”

To make the dining experience further comfortable, space will also offer free Wi-Fi and music.

Timings : 7:00 PM Onwards
Venue: The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi

In a meeting held between Sh. Mekapati Goutham Reddy, Hon’ble Minister for Commerce, Industry, IT and Skill Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh and Sh. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, C&MD, ITDC in New Delhi on September 09th, 2020, the State has sought active assistance and support of ITDC in actualising their plans for building a Skill Ecosystem in Hospitality and Tourism, both thrust areas of the Government.

Andhra Pradesh Government proposes to enter into an MoU with ITDC in the areas of comprehensive training to frontline workers, as well as towards setting up a Centre of Excellence for Tourism and Travel curriculum. ITDC proposes joining hands towards implementing some entrepreneurship models in the
sectors to benefit the qualified young hospitality professionals.