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.
New Delhi, 23rd September, 2020:Shri. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, C&MD, ITDC and the other eminent
guests who joined the discussion were Shri. Rakesh Kumar Verma, Joint Secretary, Ministry Of
Tourism; Shri. Jose Dominic, Co-Founder, CHG Earth; Shri. Mandeep Singh Lamba, President, HVS
Hanrock and Shri. Anurag Bhatnagar, Chief Operating Officer, The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts.
Addressing the panel, Shri. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, C&MD, ITDC said, “The Indian hospitality
industry has witnessed a sudden crash in its revenues and is working towards revival amid daunting
challenges. If we look at the brighter side, this crisis will in a way, help us reinvent our businesses in
the long run. We need to be versatile, innovative, aligned, and stay positive at the same time.
Bringing back the confidence of the travellers is our top priority at the moment. We at ITDC have
provided rigorous training to all our employees and are following strict hygiene and social distancing
protocols across all our properties.”
The industry needs to come up with policies and practice to reboot its service giving priority to
health and hygiene at all levels. The panel jointly agreed that if all the stakeholders come together to
support each other the industry has full potential to bounce back stronger than ever.
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.
” AIT Division organised an online training program by Bacardi on upselling and brand familiarization for its sales teams of various duty-free shops. The training program was for a one-hour duration from 15th to 22nd July (six days).
It was inaugurated by Director (C&M) ITDC and attended by all the RMs, sales teams, and AITD team members at HQ.
India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC), a public sector undertaking (PSU), under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has signed an MOU with AIIMS, New Delhi to come together and monitor the situation to prevent COVID-19 infection and implement preventive measures that can be taken up by ITDC across its hotels and offices to provide a safe, hygienic and healthy environment to guests and staff.
June 30, 2020, New Delhi: With the economy re-starting its engine, the Hospitality and Tourism industry is also gearing to make a come-back. Intending to embrace the new normal and discuss the way forward, Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) hosted a webinar on ‘Preparedness of Hospitality, Travel & Tourism industry in the present scenario of COVID 19’ on 30th June 2020.
The webinar was joined by Shri. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, C&MD, ITDC; Smt. Meenakshi Sharma DG(T), Ministry Of Tourism; Shri. Suman Billa, Director, Technical Cooperation & Silk Road UNWTO; Shri. Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO; Shri. Subash Goyal, Honorary Secretary, FAITH; Shri. PP Khanna, President, ADTOI, and Shri. Amaresh Tiwari, Vice Chairman, ICPB representing various segments of Hospitality, Tours and Travels.
Valuable inputs were received from the panellists who were also of the views that if all the stakeholders come together to support each other during such testing times, the industry can bounce back stronger than ever. Domestic tourism is bound to revive first and so is India as a destination. We are confident that together we shall overcome and bounce back stronger. All the panellists were unanimous that more than what we do, it is important to properly communicate and convince the world and prospective travellers that they are safe while travelling to India.
Addressing the panellist, Mr. G Kamala Vardhana Rao, C&MD, ITDC said, “The confidence quotient has to come back to the traveller to bring back the same. ITDC has already completed a holistic training program on sanitization and hygiene in all its units for the concerned employees and has developed a SOP to be followed to handle the present situation. To restart its business ITDC has not only provided rigorous training interventions on health and safety protocols to its employees but has also signed an MOU with AIIMS to form an advisory body to monitor the situation of COVID-19 and take necessary steps as and when needed..
The Corporation is committed to place health and safety on top priority while retaining traditional hospitality.
New Delhi 09th July, 2020: India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC), a public sector undertaking (PSU), under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has signed an MOU with AIIMS, New Delhi to come together and monitor the situation to prevent COVID-19 infection and implement preventive measures that can be taken up by ITDC across its hotels and offices to provide a safe, hygienic and healthy environment to guests and staff.
Talking about the MOU Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture said, “The MoU between ITDC and AIIMS to fight the COVID 19 battle is a commendable and appreciable step taken by ITDC. We need to win over our fear & do everything possible in order to revive the tourism industry, which is one of the key contributors to the country’s GDP. This move by ITDC would be helpful in rebuilding trust & confidence of international as well as domestic tourists.”
“The ongoing pandemic has had a severe impact on the travel and tourism industry. The MoU with AIIMS, New Delhi will help us in monitoring the situation and take necessary measures to fight the pandemic. The tourism sector contributes immensely towards the creation of jobs, as well as the GDP of India, it is imperative to ensure preparedness and readiness of the sector in order to gear it back into action.” Hon’ble minister added.
To take this forward an advisory board will be formed consisting of representatives from AIIMS, ITDC and/or representative from any other organisation to provide inputs on designing and developing the safety Protocols with respect to COVID-19 infection, based on existing and ongoing situation as well as on real time basis. This would help in instilling trust and confidence in domestic tourism and also help in image building of the nation for international tourists and travellers.
These measures are in addition to following guidelines issued by Govt of India as well as extensive training provided to more than 1000 employees of hotel in areas of Front Office, Guest Relation, House Keeping, F&B etc. to effectively handle the situation.
Hon’ble Prime Minister urges all to actively participate in 6th International Yoga day and highlights the importance of Yoga during extraordinary times of Global Pandemic.
June 04, 2020, New Delhi: Ahead of World Environment Day, India Tourism Development Corporation’s (ITDC) flagship property, The Ashok Hotel received ISO 50001:2018 certification for managing the hotel’s energy requirement efficiently.
The ISO 50001:2018 certification is an international energy management and efficiency improvement standard awarded to organisations who make sure that the energy spending is actively managed, emissions are reduced and there is an awareness of the importance of sustainable energy management among the employees.
Sharing details about the accolade Vijay Dutt, General Manager, The Ashok Hotel said, “The Ashok Hotel epitomizes heritage and grandeur, with sustainability embedded in its core. The hotel was built in an era when sustainability was an inherent construction practice, and we continue to live by it even today. We are applying the best practices to stay true to all of the principles of environmental protection and also spreading the message that efficient energy management is the only way to make sure your business is sustainable.”
By design, the hotel’s landscape significantly reduces heat impact and offers a cooler microclimate. On-site sewage management and reuse of treated waste water for cooling towers and landscaping have enabled the hotel to achieve a zero discharge status. Rainwater is recharged back to the ground with the help of recharge pits. Waste management and treatment are also in place, and all the kitchen waste is treated through on-site composting. Chiller and lighting upgrades have been carried out, and controls have been installed in guest rooms to bring down annual energy cost. Further retrofits and solar PV systems have been installed for overall energy savings.
In 2017, The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi became the first government-owned existing commercial building in India to be LEED Gold certified under this LEED rating system for existing buildings, and also the oldest hotel property in Asia to earn any level of LEED certification.
