HRAWI Applauds Railway Minister’s Initiatives For Bettering Tourists’
Experience
Mumbai: Union Minister
for Railways, Suresh Prabhu’s recent announcement commissioning local taxi and
auto drivers as tourist guides at Kankavali station has been applauded by the
Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI). The association has
cited this effort as a sign of inclusive governance that goes beyond its scope
of work to support ancillary industries.
Commending the vision,
President of HRAWI, Mr. Bharat Malkani said, “Although this decision does not
affect or directly impact the hotel industry, the move indicates the tone of
the Government. To us, this is a promising sign and gives us hope.”
“It is an idea that is both
simple and ingenious. However, it is also very crucial that thorough audits
must be done to identify that these taxi and auto drivers are indeed locals and
that the training should include development of their soft skills for tourists
to feel a home. With suitable training, which according to the Minister would
be provided by the Railways and the State Government, there are none who are
more suited than local taxi and auto drivers to act as tourist guides. Not only
will tourists get access to easy, convenient and legitimate information off
hand, but it will also give the locals additional income, besides enhancing the
experience of tourists visiting the place,” he added.
HRAWI has been advocating the
development and promotion of tourism in the coastal regions of Maharashtra.
Projecting the Konkan beach belt, which the association believes is underrated
and untapped, is expected to generate employment opportunities and significant
revenues to the state.
“Beaches along the Konkan
stretch of Maharashtra are unparalleled in their beauty. With ample sunshine,
golden sand and sub culture, atmosphere, cuisine and people that are unique to
this region, it is as good, if not better than Goa or surrounding places. If
only the Government focuses on improving the transport infrastructure and
connectivity, the tourist arrivals could easily see an appreciated surge,” says
Mr. Malkani.
Meanwhile, HRAWI also appealed
to the Government to implement its earlier proposal for opening up the
waterways as this could boost coastal tourism. “Mumbai has one of the biggest
ports and waterways and the possibility that it could be utilized as a medium
of transportation has been overlooked for long. If the government looks at
opening up this possibility, then tourists could use the water mode to reach
their beach of choice. This could irrevocably change the landscape of tourism
in the state,” concluded Mr. Malkani.
About Hotel & Restaurant Association
Western India (HRAWI)
The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western
India) is a 64 years old Association of Hotels and Restaurants in Western
India. Its members include Hotels up to 5-Star Deluxe categories like The Taj,
Trident, Hyatt, J.W. Marriott and The Leela who are some of the prominent
members of our Association. With around 1300 members across Western India,
HRAWI covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the
Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa is considered to be the voice of
the Hotel Industry. The association is part of the national body of Federation
of the Hotels & Restaurants Associations of India (FHRAI), located in New
Delhi, which was originally founded in Mumbai in 1950 by the late Mr. J.R.D.
Tata.
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