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As the economy is re-starting, the Hospitality and Tourism industry is also gearing to make a come-back. Keeping that in mind, India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC) hosted an online F&B training session for the front-line service staff of The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi. The session was conducted by an external expert covering a range of topics to educate the staff on providing a safe, hygienic, and healthy environment to guests. ITDC has been rigorously hosting online webinars and sessions on preparedness and readiness of the  hospitality sector.

In today’s unprecedented time, motivating employees starts with supporting them. In an endeavor to support the well-being, ITDC ,through its Ashok Cares initiative, conducted RT-PCR screening for all its employees at The Ashok, New Delhi. Employee welfare, has always been at the core of ITDC ,especially during these testing times; be it managing the physical health or mental stress of the employees

The Healthcare community, has been at the forefront, in the continuing fight against the pandemic. Amidst the current lockdown, ITDC to showcase their gratitude to the healthcare community , is providing upto 500 packed meals every day to healthcare workers of government hospitals, AIIMS and RMLH. The food is being cooked in the kitchen of ITDC’s flagship Hotel, The Ashok while following all safety and hygiene protocols. ITDC is grateful to the healthcare community , for their work and dedication ,during these difficult times

ITDC hotels took part in Earth Hour Celebrations vowing towards sustainability. Every year people celebrate Earth hour by taking action to increase environmental awareness and make transformative change for the planet. It is a yearly milestone that marks an opportunity to reflect on some year-round steps companies are taking to protect the Earth. ITDC as a group is committed to multiple focus areas for protecting the earth: carbon reduction, carbon-neutral meetings, water conservation, minimizing waste, responsible sourcing, and ecolabels. In addition to food waste reduction efforts, ITDC also pledged to minimize plastic waste by prohibiting the use of plastic in all hotels. ITDC hopes to encourage all within the hospitality industry to curb its environmental impact as well as inspire a new sustainable model that brings about enduring changes to the environment. Earth Hour is an annual global event organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature. This year’s event highlights the link between the destruction of nature and increasing outbreaks of diseases like Covid-19.

The Ashok Hotel, a flagship hotel property of ITDC, organized a special ‘Fusion Gujiya’ making workshop on the side-lines of Holi on 23rd March 2021. Key media persons and influencers attended the culinary session. Chef Vikram Shokeen, Jr. Sous Chef at The Ashok Hotel familiarized the attendees with the basics of gujiya making, its techniques, and new trends observed in the making process of this dessert. Chef Vikram demonstrated some quick and easy recipes of gujiyas that one can prepare at home. Some of the prominent gujiya variants cooked at the workshop were – Paan Gujiya, Beetroot Gujiya, Chocolate Gujiya, and Baked Gujiya. Apart from easy-to-follow recipes, the workshop also offered insights into kitchen chemistry like pigmentation, aromatic delights, and food science. The hotel ensured strict observation of social distancing and sanitization guidelines during the workshop.

C&MD ITDC was a keynote speaker at the ‘Meet in India’ roadshow where he put forth his views on how India can be the paragon in sustainable tourism . The first session of this three-day event was based on ‘Responsible Tourism’ in collaboration with the Responsible Tourism Society of India on March 25,2021. The C&MD made his statements in this session on how Khajuraho can become an example of Responsible Tourism as an iconic destination. In this session, C&MD provided his insights on the strategy and works required to develop India as a tourism destination which can be done through expansion of hotels, connectivity, service providers, and availability of skilled human resources while keeping sustainability as a focus. The inaugural program was attended by travel agents, tour operators of the India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICBP), and other cities, besides event management agencies, corporate clients, stakeholders, and a limited number of other guests.

Ashok Institute of Hospitality & Tourism Management (AIH&TM), a certified hospitality training institute under India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) introduced a tailor-made program in ‘Entrepreneurship Development’ exclusively designed for graduates in the tourism & hospitality industry. 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 catering or hospitality-related establishments in government and private offices. The programme was formally inaugurated by Sh. Arvind Singh, IAS, Secretary (Tourism) at a webinar hosted by ITDC. The webinar was convened by Shri. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, IAS, C&MD, India Tourism Development Council (ITDC) and other eminent officials of the industry.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) organised an in-house training session on ‘Breaking myths about beauty’ for all its women executives at Hotel Samrat. The session was conducted by the celebrity hair expert, Ms. Eesha Rishi. After studying and working in London Vidal Sassoon and Toni & Guy, she came back to India and set up her first salon in Delhi in 2007, she is also an American IKFF certified Kettle bell Fitness trainer. The training was to discuss health & wellness, skin care & hair care and COVID norms to be followed while receiving beauty treatments. The session was attended by Shri Piyush Tiwari, DCM, ITDC and other key dignitaries of ITDC . It was managed by ITDC’s Human Resource Development Division – Ashok Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management (AIH&TM).

Shri. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, Chairman and Managing Director, ITDC joined industry stalwarts over a webinar organised by Indo Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ISCCI) to discuss the overview of tourism industry in Sri Lanka. The webinar highlighted the tourism and related activities potential between India and Sri Lanka for the revival of the sector during the on-going pandemic. Furthermore, it also emphasised on the importance of attractions like Buddhist circuit and Ramayana Circuit and mentioned the efforts made by Ministry of Tourism in promoting Indo Sri Lanka tourist relations and strengthening the eco system. He also highlighted the potential growth in cruise tourism between Sri Lanka and India, Ayurveda and Yoga are the other significant areas of mutual cooperation.