#Know Your Leader. Today’s Traveller Know Your Leader motivational initiative invites Ashwani Nayar, General Manager, Crowne Plaza Greater Noida to share his experiences, his journey, and some unknown facts about him that keep him going.

This, in turn, will motivate teams to delve into themselves and bring out their lesser-known selves.

Even though a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes the right words are just what you need to make it through the day, to inspire your team, or to change your perspective.

Today’s Traveller: What is that one thing that you have learnt during Covid19 Pandemic?

Ashwani Nayar: The Covid-19 Pandemic has made us more adaptive towards any change and adoptive towards accepting unique ways to deal with unprecedented circumstances and situations.

I believe that when you are surrounded by unusual happenings, that are both critical and drastic in nature, the measures taken to deal with them should be equally unusual and drastic to be effective.

The focus should be equally on both surviving and thriving in order to create a better tomorrow.  I am confident that in the post-pandemic era, individuals from all walks of life will be stronger – both personally and professionally, emotionally resilient, and certainly more flexible towards the new normal.

Today’s Traveller: How do you approach a challenge?

Ashwani Nayar: While I consider tailoring my approach based on the magnitude of the challenge, however my most preferred and opted approach is “to face it head-on”.  Each challenge faced, either on a day-to-day basis or sudden, whether personal or professional, has its unique characteristics and severity.

My ways to deal with them include searching for the root cause, finding an appropriate solution, transparency in communication, and most importantly staying positive. In some situations, instantaneous decisions can make a difference and in some gatherings due diligence is critical.

The key is to keep your focus on solving the problems while preventing your thoughts, actions and judgments from getting clouded by conscious or subconscious inclusions. My biggest takeaway from dealing with challenges is that life should go on as business as usual no matter how severe the situation is.

Today’s Traveller: How do you keep up your team’s morale?

Ashwani Nayar: The team at the hotel flagged off the journey of 2021 with a clear communication- we will be “One Above Twenty Twenty”. By using the right strategies, innovative ways and learnings from 2020 and most importantly by believing in ourselves, we can be prepared for both today and tomorrow and deliver market-leading results.

To answer your question, we are spearheading various positivity campaigns to keep up with the morals of the team. These include HR led virtual activities like quiz and game shows, training programs on Covid-19 do’s and don’ts and ‘e-Winning Ways Wednesdays’ – where business-related achievements are shared and employees are recognized and certified for their outstanding achievements. Within the hotel, we have various health and fitness benefits, support systems for colleagues and an open communication channel.

The Sales team is making sure that the Covid-19 induced lockdowns don’t stop our colleagues and customers from maintaining their health. Innovative virtual fitness programs like #PowerFit are organized with the aim to help people in staying healthy at home. The team also launched a virtual Summer Camp for children with a focus on their physical and emotional health; these programs are available to colleagues and customers alike.

Likewise, the Food & Beverage team is leading food delivery campaigns including a campaign to deliver freshly prepared healthy gourmet meals to people who are home-bound due to the pandemic and are craving to eat some delicious food.

Today’s Traveller: A major milestone which shaped you as a Leader

Ashwani Nayar: I truly believe that leadership is also a lifelong-learning practice. My leadership voyage has been shaped by the people I have worked with as a leader and similarly who have been my leaders. By observing their leadership qualities and by practising self-reflection and introspection based on my personal-professional experiences, I work on improving my skills. All through my professional career, I have believed in setting benchmarks for myself and continue raising the bar, I believe that we should primarily compete against ourselves. 

Today’s Traveller: What is that one thing that you cannot miss?

Ashwani Nayar: The one characteristic that defines me as a person is that I believe in organic and time-driven changes and I practice adopting and adapting to those changes very diligently. So, that one thing, which I cannot miss, is “Nothing”. I have intentionally not inculcated any such habit on which I can claim that I am dependent on and or say that survival is impossible without. However, I enjoy drinking coffee, listening to music and I am very passionate about my work, playing Golf and collecting old Vinyl records.

Today’s Traveller: Which non-professional activities give you energy and satisfaction

Ashwani Nayar: I enjoy doing yoga, playing tennis, swimming, and cycling thoroughly.

Read More: Corporate Connect

Today’s Traveller : How do you assess the current situation?

M P Bezbaruah: The current situation, so far as tourism and hospitality is concerned, is a continuation of the travails of last one year, a situation of cumulative misery in terms of business and income and jobs lost.

The early part was marked by the tenacity of the hospitality sector trying to hold on during unprecedented adversity, without any support from the government.

The second wave of the pandemic resulting in reimposed restrictions for long periods has pushed most of the industry to what I can describe as, a fight for survival.

Even in the very early stages a study by Mckinsey had anticipated business contraction to the extent of 70%. Subsequently, RBI has accepted that this sector is one of the most impacted ones. In the initial stages, HAI had represented that the revenue loss was around Rs 90,000 cr for the year and the organized part of the industry-which is only about 10% of the total-had debt burden of Rs 45000 Cr.

With the impact of the severe second wave, the apprehension is that more than 40% of hotels have shut or are on the brink of closure and almost 70% of the jobs are in danger directly within the sector and thousands more in hotel-related support sectors.

Today’s Traveller : Were you prepared for a second Covid wave scenario and the likelihood of a further setback?

M P Bezbaruah : The Hospitality sector was aware of the uncertainty of the situation. It had adopted all the SOPs, — safety, hygiene, social distancing- had made innovations and adjustments in operations necessary to go on in the new environment, but the intensity of the second wave and the resultant shock was not expected.

By the beginning of the new year as the Secretary MOT said, there was a ray of hope and I had captioned one of my articles with that heading. Resorts and high-end hotels near metro cities had seen robust bookings. The trends were clear— perception about health and hygiene of the service providers and customers confidence on these issues was going to determine their choices.

Nature, open-air and rural settings were the preferred choices. To sum up, the industry was prepared to meet the new norms of operation as mandated by the SOPs and needed in the circumstances but in operational areas relating to liquidity problems, payment of fixed cost and dues, payroll etc. the long impact of Corona was making them very vulnerable, and the second wave made it worse. Industry on its own had no means for preparing to meet the fallout.

There is fear of a third wave. I am afraid most of the industry will not have the capacity to withstand it on their own unless there is substantive support from the government.

Today’s Traveller : What challenges are likely to take shape?

M P Bezbaruah: I see the challenges in two parts. First is the challenge of survival. It is a challenge of managing continually mounting cost, both fixed and payroll, increasing the debt burden with almost non-existent revenue. The challenge is of matching humanitarian concern to continue retaining staff with business not making it viable to do so.

The second challenge is of adjusting to the business in the new norms after covid. Trust, it has been said will be the new currency in the tourism business. This trust will be in a capacity to build traveller confidence about heath safety, hygiene etc. through innovative measures, digital transformation and improving service quality through trained manpower.

Such changes in operations, like social distancing in restaurants, will reduce capacity. They will also have a cost. At the same time, it is likely that as tourism starts slowly there will be keen competition to get market share and prices may be compromised.

As UNWTO has pointed out, in the future concern for sustainability will not be an option—it will be a necessity.  Consumers will judge establishments more and more on their adherence to sustainable norms in operations. The recent meeting of the G20 has already talked about transiting to green tourism and travel economy. The primary challenge for the hospitality industry in a fast-changing scenario will be its capacity to be at the forefront of ‘change’.

Today’s Traveller : Way forward with strategies to rebuild tourism and hospitality industry.

M P Bezbaruah: UNWTO has assessed that travel and tourism have gone back in time by 30 years. The tourism experts have also opined that international tourism is unlikely to get back to normal before 2023. The future strategy will have to be devised and designed keeping this overall constraint in the picture. Domestic tourism and to some extent business travel when the economy picks up, are expected to sustain the hospitality industry.

There is a great lot to be done—systematically, continuously and in a planned manner. Most of the work will need joint efforts of the government and the industry and therefore the first requirement is to establish a strong, pragmatic mechanism for public, private partnership. This could be achieved by creating a Task Force with both the government and private sector representatives.

The first strategy of course will be to enable the industry to find its feet. The Task Force should quickly draw up and implement a tourism and hospitality sector specific recovery plan. It should reflect the ground realities and ways to meet those realities.

It should provide relief on the issues already identified by the industry as mentioned above— restructuring of loans, a moratorium on existing loans, soft credit for restarting business, waiver of statutory dues for the period of lockdown, just to mention a few.

At this moment everyone is aware that this sector is most affected by the pandemic. But there is no assessment of the impact on business, jobs and loss of livelihood of people indirectly dependent on the hospitality sector. If not already undertaken, it is essential to quickly make such an assessment. Future solutions will emerge from an understanding of the actual data of the ground realities.

It looks clear that domestic tourism will have to provide the initial push for recovery of tourism and hospitality business. Government will have to primarily promote domestic tourism as is being done through “Dekho Apna Desh” campaign.

But it will have to expand to cover wider destinations including rural tourism. Sustainable destination development will be the key requirement in the immediate future. “Responsible Tourism” will be the core component of such development.  

The hospitality industry in its turn should show leadership in innovating ways for strictly implementing the government SOPs on health and hygiene, develop sustainable practices, innovate on increasing productivity and cutting cost to attract domestic tourism.

(The author, M P Bezbaruah, Sec. General, Hotel Association of India, is also Permanent Representative (Hon.), UN-WTO, Former Member, North Eastern Council (in the rank of MOS), Former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Former Chairman, PATA, Former Minister (Economic) HCI, London.)

Read More: #ReviveRebuild

Today’s Traveller: How do you assess the current situation from a Travel and Tourism perspective?

Suman Billa: The Travel and Tourism sectors are interestingly poised at this stage. Travel restrictions around the globe have not changed much since March with 32% of the countries in complete closure, 34% practising partial closures, 32% allowing travel subject to testing and quarantine and only 2% have lifted all restrictions to travel.

But the scenario is also unfolding with a lot of positivity. Several countries around the world have started vaccination programs in real earnest and the results from the major source markets are promising.

The US has vaccinated a majority of its population and the EU is slow but is scheduled to vaccinate its citizens by September. Several other countries which are strong tourism destinations or aviation hubs like Singapore and those in the GCC region have also done extremely well so far.

On the other hand, the discussion around vaccine passports has started yielding tangible results with some sort of coordinated travel agreements coming to fruition this month. We also see a positive trend of countries who have vaccinated the bulk of their population like the UK easing up on travel restrictions and their citizens being welcomed in other countries like Spain without the mandatory diagnostic tests. If this trajectory continues to hold, we are likely to see a robust rebound by the last quarter of this year.

However, there are also causes for concern. We have seen the mutations of the virus in the recent past which have severely impacted countries like UK, Brazil, South Africa and India. It is likely that these variants would spread to other countries, and we will see further mutations of the virus which can pose a challenge to unvaccinated populations.

There is also concern about the level of efficacy of the vaccines against a fast-mutating virus. If we see a resurgence of the virus, it may impact the pace of recovery. The pace of vaccination will also determine the ability of the countries to receive international tourists. We also face the prospect of a ‘have’ and ‘have not’ divide that can impact the ability of citizens of Least Developed Countries to travel if the pace of vaccination and integration into the global health travel framework is slow.

Today’s Traveller: Were you prepared for a second wave scenario and the likelihood of a further setback?

Suman Billa: The second wave was always a possibility but the ferocity with which affected India was unexpected. We need to be prepared for further onslaughts from the virus and its mutations. As the saying goes, “hope for the best but prepare for the worst”. The consequences of not being prepared with a Plan B and Plan C can be fatal for businesses.

Today’s Traveller: What new challenges are likely to take shape?

Suman Billa: The pandemic has challenged the Travel and Tourism sector like never before. The longer it takes to recover, the more difficult it would be for businesses to sustain. Most businesses have by this time gone into a state of hibernation since there has been no real commercial activity for over a year now. As the situation improves, these businesses would face the challenge of finding liquidity, requisite talent and starting afresh from the ground up.

The Travel and Tourism sector is likely to undergo far-reaching changes with a greater focus on sustainability and responsible travel. Technology has already played a catalyzing role in the pandemic so far and its impact would be further accelerated.

Those who are able to stay ahead of the curve and crest the changing circumstances will emerge stronger and those who do not adapt to the changing rules of the game face extinction.

Today’s Traveller: The way forward with strategies to rebuild the travel and tourism industry.

Suman Billa: Recovery from the present situation requires strong and collective global leadership. To optimize travel and tourism, we need to look beyond the bilateral agreements like travel bubbles, etc. and create a strong and robust global framework with clear criteria for travel backed by efficient tools like digital vaccine passports to make travel hassle-free. We would also need to make sure that this arrangement is as equitable as it can be so as to not alienate any countries from benefiting from the recovery of the sector.

National Governments should also create the conditions to enable travel like effective hygiene and safety protocols, access to quality health care in the event of any visitor falling ill etc.

National Governments should also take an entrepreneurial position to support their industry for revival by enabling access to credit, supporting them in reaching out to key markets aggressively etc. so as to emerge as winners in a changed world.

Read More: #ReviveRebuild

Tourism-related companies have benefited from various government support measures to transform their products and offerings, while building new capabilities to position themselves for future growth opportunities.

Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said: “Singapore’s tourism sector has had to fight for survival in 2020. Our tourism businesses have displayed immense resilience and adaptability throughout this difficult period, reinventing their business models and leveraging technology to find solutions in a COVID-19 world.”

He continued, “I am also grateful for their commitment to keep Singaporeans and residents safe and well. STB remains confident in Singapore’s position as one of the world’s safest and most attractive leisure and business destination, and the long-term prospects of Singapore’s tourism sector. While mass international travel is unlikely to resume in a major way in 2021, STB will continue standing together with our industry partners to prepare for recovery and to start building a better and more sustainable future for tourism.”

To ensure that Singapore remains top of mind even while travel is curtailed, STB’s regional offices launched new initiatives to engage its fans and strengthen Singapore’s brand image around the world. STB partnered with technology, media and tourism industry players in key source markets to jointly promote Singapore as an attractive destination for future travellers.

India is an important visitor source market for Singapore. and  The Singapore Tourism Board and its tourism partners have been leveraging technology and the digital medium for consumer outreach in the India market since the beginning of the lockdown as they have realised that it is important to continue engaging with and entertaining the audience in such extraordinary times and keep Singapore close to their hearts and minds.

Interesting virtual consumer activations with brands such as Zomato, BookMyShow, NH7 Weekender, Windmill Festival, St+art India Foundation, Tripoto have been executed where Indian artistes and influencers have collaborated with Singaporean artistes where they were also to showcase their passions and talents and connect with the Indian audiences virtually.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, STB India has undertaken the #UnitedWeStand trade engagement theme to ramp up trade engagement efforts. Video messages showcasing solidarity and unity with the travel fraternity, launch of a whatsapp business channel, update sessions and webinars on Destination Singapore to upskill their partners’ leisure and MICE product knowledge, etc. were some of the initiatives undertaken by STB in the market.

Recently, STB concluded its first virtual travel trade engagement roadshows for 2021 in India. Based on this year’s theme, “Charting Our Pathways to Tourism Recovery”, the roadshows aimed at strengthening partnerships and planning on how to grow the tourism business and prepare for travel restart once the situation normalises.

During the roadshow, the STB shared updates on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore and how the country is preparing for tourism re-start and recovery in 2021 and beyond. The roadshows included close to 48 key stakeholders from Singapore representing hotels, airlines, integrated resorts, attractions, Destination Management Companies (DMC) and cruise operators and were attended by over 3000 buyers from India.

GB Srithar, Regional Director (India, Middle East and South Asia), Singapore Tourism Board while talking about the outlook for the India market adds: “Singapore has made progress in its gradual and calibrated return to some normalcy. We had entered the third phase of a three-phased ‘A Safe Singapore’ transition since 28 December 2020 and are adopting a deliberate and cautious re-opening of our borders for international travel, with necessary safeguards in place. We are prepared for recovery to be a slow and deliberate process but we are confident that we can overcome this pandemic.

STB is confident that along with our valued partner-friends and tourism partners, we will come together to share and exchange ideas and jointly configure the pathways to recovery for travel and tourism.”

Contributing to COVID-19 efforts amid adversity

Due to unprecedented global travel restrictions and border closures, Singapore saw a decline in both visitor arrivals and tourism receipts in 2020. Visitor arrivals (VA) fell by 85.7 per cent in 2020 to reach 2.7 million visitors (nearly all from the first two months of 2020), while tourism receipts (TR) declined by 78.4 per cent to S$4.4 billion in the first three quarters of 2020.

Even during this difficult year, tourism businesses played a key role in Singapore’s battle against COVID-19. Hotels offered their properties for various accommodation purposes, including Government Quarantine Facilities, Swab Isolation Facilities and Stay-Home Notice Dedicated Facilities (SDFs). Many tourist guides stepped up as Safe Distancing Ambassadors (SDAs), capitalizing on their people and language skills to urge compliance to safe management measures (SMMs).

Resuming Operations Safely

As Singapore’s economy gradually re-opened in the second half of 2020, the tourism sector faced a new challenge: working out how to resume operations safely while providing meaningful customer experiences. STB engaged industry stakeholders to develop their re-opening proposals and implement the necessary SMMs. As of 25 January 2021, 45 attractions, 270 hotels, and 1,686 tour itineraries have received approval to resume operations.

From November 2020, Singapore also piloted cruises with enhanced safety protocols and no ports of call for two of Singapore’s homeported cruise lines – Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International. To rebuild consumer confidence and demand for cruise, STB established the world’s first CruiseSafe Certification – a mandatory audit and certification programme for cruise lines before they commence sailing.

Many tourism establishments have also been certified SG Clean, a national mark of excellence that indicates our businesses adhere to high standards of environmental public hygiene on their premises. As of 25 January 2021, STB has issued more than 1,390 SG Clean Quality Mark certificates to tourism-related premises.

Resuming MICE and leisure events

From 1 October 2020, STB began accepting applications for organisers to pilot MICE events of up to 250 attendees. As of 31 December 2020, Singapore has held 29 MICE event pilots, with the first being the Singapore International Energy Week in end October 2020. Singapore also developed testing protocols for foreign delegates and other visitors arriving for events such as TravelRevive and the ONE Championship events, to safeguard public health.

Supporting Transformation of Singapore’s travel industry

Since the start of the outbreak, STB has worked closely with industry partners to chart a new path for the tourism sector. In February 2020, the Tourism Recovery Action Task Force (TRAC), comprising tourism leaders from both the private and public sectors, was set up to develop and implement joint recovery strategies.

Looking ahead

Even with the development of vaccines, it will take time for mass leisure travel and travellers’ confidence to return. Therefore, STB expects tourism arrivals and tourism receipts to remain weak in 2021.

In 2021, STB will continue to support quality tourism businesses to sustain key capabilities and build new ones, and to innovate in order to meet evolving consumer needs and emerging travel trends once cross-border travel resumes in a significant way.

Read more: Singapore