The WICCI National Hospitality and Tourism Council an online community that mentors and shares inspiring personal and professional stories about ‘breaking the glass ceiling’ whilst coaching women from all walks of life to pursue a career and grow within the hospitality industry.
Presided by Kanika Hasrat, General Manager, Taj City Centre Gurugram, IHCL and supported by Ritu Chawla Mathur, Managing Partner Prognosis Global Consulting, the WICCI National Hospitality Council aims to work with organisations to help enhance this percentage significantly.
In line with the WICCI Hospitality and Tourism Charter of representation for incentives, concessions, policies, legislature and structural changes to government and Ministries, the leaders shared their recommendations with the Hon’ble Finance Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.
The recommendations are
- Mandate 25% of women in the workforce in the Ministry of Tourism and in the Tourism Board to build a sense of empathy and encourage more women in the industry.
- Incentivize Hospitality projects with special incentives for development where major stake holders are women:
- Single window clearance
- Friendly capital and interest subsidy scheme for fresh investment
- Provide subsidy on land for long term lease 60 to 90 years in special SEZ Zones
- Stamp duty relief for women hotel owners or companies having more than 51% shareholding by women and
- Increase moratorium on current loans till end of FY 21-22
- Further Reforms in Tax and Regulatory environment targeted specifically at women start-ups:
- Concession in Corporate Tax for Hotel/Business owning SPV’s having more than 25% salary bill going to women employees
- Hotel owning company having more than mandated number of women directors on board to qualify for corporate tax rebate
- One third of the 3% CSR budget for hotel companies to be necessarily spent on initiatives focused on women empowerment
- Differential Corporate Tax rebate as per extent of women in a company
- Enforce 40% women in all Hospitality and Tourism organisations and incentivise with 3% GST saving for organisations that meet the 50% threshold criterion of women in workforce
- Recommendation to reduce GST for procurement from women entrepreneurs and vendors supporting AatmaNirbhar Bharat
- Building up Workforce: Allocation of Funds-Incentive schemes for mobilization of young girls to enrol for Government programs such as Apprenticeship program, Hunar se Rozgar Tak.
- Gender equality and recalibration of workforce for better equilibrium – Recommendation for the government to envision 100% pay parity in Travel and Tourism Industry by 2025 and to commission a study to evaluate the effect of post-natal job losses and encourage organisations to offer a second chance to women returning from maternity leaves.
- Safety and Security – Recommendations include allocation of atleast 10% of total Tourism budget towards safety of women travellers to enhance sentiment for travel for single lady travellers and mandate 25% of all security personnel employed in any organisation are women.
- Amend shop and establishment law to allow for flexible working hours with dynamic wage structure in keeping with the social security and labour act 2020. With new rules of engagement of Gig workers Hospitality and Tourism will be able offer immense opportunity to benefit women employment and still afford them the flexibility of managing home.
Speaking on the occasion, Kanika Hasrat, President, WICCI Hospitality Council shared, “It is the vision as also the endeavour of WICCI Hospitality & Tourism Council to collaboratively work with various stakeholders such as consumers, workforce, policy makers and government bodies to create an environment of equal opportunities, equal monetary benefits, equal rights and responsibilities, equal accolades, equal ownership and most importantly, equal smiles! We are grateful to the invite from the Hon’ble Finance Minister to solicit opinion from the industry to declare “a budget like never before, in the last 100 years.”
WICC National Hospitality and Tourism Council’s National Advisory Board Members:
- Ritu Chawla Mathur, Managing Partner Prognosis Global Consulting
- Anika Gupta, Director Development Eurasia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
- Seema Roy, Area Managing Director, Preferred Hotels and Resorts
- Monalika Bhatiya, Founder Director, One Earth Hotels
- Deepika Arora, Founder, Rosakue and Regional Rep., Dusit Intl.
- Sareena Kochar, Vice president, Housekeeping, Lemon Tree Hotels
- Meena Bhatia, VP and General Manager, Le Meriden New Delhi
- Ananya Sinha, Director of Commercial, SW Asia, IHG
- Rajyasree Sen, Director Global Communications India, Hyatt Hotels
- Ritu Bhatia Kler, Managing Director, TID India
- Asha Pathania, AVP Housekeeping, PVR Limited
- Loveleen Multani Arun, Founder Director, Panache India
- Anjali Dureja, Managing Director, Hotelivate
- Mridula Tangirala, Head Tourism, Tata Trust
- Jyoti Joshi, Head South India , Media and Entertainment Skill Council
- Kamal Gill, Executive Editor and MD, Gill India Publications
- Mallika Rao Bedi, VP Strategic Initiatives and Rewards, EazyDiner
- Angira Singhvi Lodha, Partner, Khaitan and Khaitan
- Gurmeet Sachdev, Publisher and Media Partner
- Shailja Singh, Vice President Human Resources, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, EIH limited
- Ritu Sehgal, Director Travel with us
- Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, TIRUN Travel Marketing
- Urmil Khurana, CFO and Finance Consultant
