Thursday, March 21, 2024
The Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), headquartered in the UAE and recognized as the largest global consortium of independent hotel brands, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It underscored the significant growth opportunities within the Indian tourism sector at the first-ever Skift India Summit held at The Leela Ambience Gurugram. This event was a collaborative effort between GHA and The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, one of its primary brands in India, attracting industry pioneers to deliberate on the evolving dynamics, obstacles, and prospects anticipated to foster 80 million international visits by 2040.
The summit also highlighted GHA’s remarkable achievements in India, illustrating the sector’s rapid advancement. In 2023, the combined revenue from GHA’s 13 properties across the Leela, Araiya, and Oaks brands in India surged to a new high of $68 million, an increase from the $65 million recorded pre-pandemic in 2019. Additionally, the GHA DISCOVERY membership in India saw an unprecedented rise, reaching over 540,000 members, a 21% growth from 2022. This spike in membership translated to record-breaking hotel revenue of $60 million from Indian guests, marking a 46% increase from the previous year and surpassing the $41 million total in 2019.
The report further highlighted that in 2023, domestic travel constituted 51% of the travel revenue, with a notable recovery in international travel surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The primary source markets for inbound tourism included the US, UK, and Australia, while GHA DISCOVERY members from India preferred visiting Singapore, Thailand, and the UAE.
“With India one of the world’s fastest-growing domestic and international travel markets, as reflected in our 2023 results, the first Skift India Summit presented a timely opportunity for GHA and our long-term partner of 17 years, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, to highlight the untold potential for expansion, from elevating GHA DISCOVERY membership among residents to boosting awareness of our growing India portfolio – this year increasing to 14 hotels across four brands – to our 26 million global loyalty members,” said GHA CEO Chris Hartley.
“Our research, delving into the travel preferences and behaviours of our members, reveals some insightful inbound and outbound travel patterns and shines a spotlight on opportunities to educate GHA DISCOVERY members in India about the unique benefits of our loyalty programme, including ways in which they can earn and redeem our rewards currency, DISCOVERY Dollars (D$). With D$1 equal to US$1, we are effectively putting cash into travellers’ pockets, encouraging them to spend at our hotels in India and with other global brands.”
GHA’s research shed light on the increasing recognition of The Leela as the top choice among its Indian members, who are planning multiple leisure, staycation, and business trips for 2024. The research also unveiled a growing interest among 50% of Indian members to explore new destinations, with a preference for culinary and adventure experiences, drawing inspiration from personal connections, digital advertising, and travel publications.
“These Indian market trends, coupled with growing appetite to visit India from GHA DISCOVERY’s 26-million-strong global membership, present immense opportunities for our portfolio of hotels, which not only offer luxury accommodation, but the destination experiences that today’s travellers seek, from adventure, to cuisine, to nature,” said Anuraag Bhatnagar, Chief Executive Officer, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.
“The Skift India Summit provided a platform to share our knowledge with key industry players to further amplify domestic and international tourism and its socio-economic contribution as we plan for future growth.”
India’s hotel industry is on a trajectory to make a substantial economic contribution, with forecasts predicting a rise to $1.5 trillion by 2047. GHA is actively seeking to expand its presence in India by engaging with various hotel brands to diversify its offerings. The upcoming introduction of Anantara Hotels & Resorts’ first property in North India, the Anantara Jaipur Hotel, is a testament to this expansion strategy.
Celebrating its 20th year, GHA takes pride in its expansion to encompass 40 hotel brands and over 800 properties worldwide. The GHA DISCOVERY loyalty scheme, launched in 2010, now celebrates a membership of 26 million, generating significant revenue of $2.3 billion and securing 10 million room nights in 2023 alone. Always evolving, GHA has enriched its loyalty offerings through innovations such as DISCOVERY Dollars, and by forming strategic alliances with Regent Seven Seas Cruises and the Plum Guide, broadening the rewards available to its members.
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Saturday, April 27, 2024
