Sustainability in tourism and hospitality is no longer optional; it has become essential for lasting success. As global awareness of environmental, cultural, and social responsibility grows, the sector faces a unique opportunity to redefine itself as a driver of holistic community development. When approached sustainably, tourism offers travellers authentic experiences while empowering local artisans, farmers, and entrepreneurs, elevating them from service providers to equal stakeholders in growth.
India, with its rich legacy of hospitality, cuisine, and craftsmanship, is exceptionally well-positioned to lead this transformation. However, achieving world-class sustainable tourism demands the systematic integration of responsible practices across operations, policies, and infrastructure, ensuring safety, inclusivity, and cultural preservation at every level.
In an exclusive conversation with The Interview World at the Viksit Delhi – Viksit Tourism & Hospitality Summit, hosted by The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India, Ankita Jaiswal, Chairperson of Responsible and Sustainable Tourism at UPHRA and HRANI, details how the sector can embrace sustainability as a core responsibility rather than a trend. She demonstrates how India’s heritage and collective values can create experiences that are both transformative for travellers and regenerative for communities.
The following are the key insights from her compelling conversation.
Q: How can the tourism and hospitality sector systematically integrate sustainability principles across operations?
A: Sustainability is not a passing trend; it is a fundamental way of life. Businesses can endure only when they anchor themselves in a responsible and sustainable lifestyle and tourism ecosystem. In fact, sustainability is no longer one option among many, it is the only viable path forward.
When we speak of sustainability, we speak of an ecosystem in which all communities advance together. Tourism and hospitality exemplify this potential. They function not merely as industries but as catalysts that knit together diverse communities, from farmers and craftsmen to small entrepreneurs and keepers of century-old culinary traditions. When travellers, whether domestic or international, experience food sourced directly from seasonal, local producers, these producers cease to be mere suppliers; they become equal stakeholders in the value chain. When local craft becomes part of the hotel’s identity, and when knowledge, stories, and cuisine flow organically from community to visitor, the result is nothing short of transformative.
Sustainability, therefore, becomes the essential foundation for resilience amid global challenges. A reimagined tourism sector, one that embraces inclusivity, community collaboration, and cultural authenticity can lead us toward that future. Our ability to thrive as individuals, cities, states, nations, and ultimately as human beings depends on recognising that sustainability is a lived practice, not an abstract principle.
In many ways, the future lies in returning to the basics.
Q: How can sustainable tourism serve as a catalyst for India’s transition to a developed nation?
A: India has always been inherently sustainable. For centuries, its architectural knowledge, culinary traditions, and cultural practices have embodied sustainable principles. This is why, in my view, India is poised to lead global tourism, especially sustainable tourism, in the years ahead.
Unfortunately, we have, at times, forgotten that we are the custodians of extraordinary culture, cuisine, craft, and hospitality. Despite extensive global travel, it is rare to encounter the depth of hospitality that India offers. In India, whether you require assistance at two in the morning or seek a warm human connection, the response is immediate and genuine. This level of care emerges only when individuals, hoteliers, hospitality professionals, and guests collectively believe in and uphold these values.
Once we embrace this belief system together and bring forward our craft, culture, food, heritage, and monuments as part of a coherent experience, we unlock something powerful: stories. Travellers come seeking stories, and India holds them in abundance.
For these reasons, I have no doubt that India will lead global tourism, particularly as we adopt a shared, sustainable approach that reflects the richness of our collective heritage.
Q: Is India ready to offer tourism and hospitality services aligned with international standards, and what policy, regulatory, and infrastructure frameworks are necessary to scale the sector?
A: I believe the answer is already clear. No matter how advanced other countries may become, India stands unparalleled in what travellers increasingly seek today: genuine warmth, uncompromising hospitality, and clean, nourishing food. After 15 to 20 days on the road, travellers crave comfort in its purest form. A simple bowl of khichri, calming, wholesome, and deeply rooted in our culinary heritage, could easily stand as our national dish.
Our crafts, too, elevate both our communities and our identity. I am wearing a silk saree woven in Varanasi and adorned with zardozi crafted in Lucknow, a small example of the cultural richness we carry effortlessly. When hotels integrate such local craftsmanship into their design and guest experiences, they transform themselves into living galleries of regional culture. Instead of seeking inspiration abroad, we can significantly enrich the traveller’s journey by showcasing our own heritage.
India delivers the most compelling sustainable tourism experience when every hotelier and hospitality professional embraces sustainability not as a trend but as a responsibility. When we provide comfort and hospitality while honouring nature, nurturing heritage, and enabling communities to prosper, travellers perceive not just our infrastructure but the soul of the nation.
I am certain that India holds the potential to offer the world’s finest tourism experiences. What we need now is alignment. And by alignment, I mean bringing communities together and positioning the tourism sector, one of the country’s largest industries, as a unified flag bearer that tells India’s extraordinary stories to the world with clarity, pride, and purpose.
Q: Where are the critical gaps in India’s hospitality and tourism sector, and how do these gaps impact the country’s ability to compete at a global standard?
A: India’s challenges in this area stem from a shift that occurred when rapid commercialisation overtook our long-standing way of living. We must also question our own expectations. We want everything delivered in ten minutes, but such speed is neither realistic nor sustainable. We need to reassess where the true value of life lies.
Today, we are living with severe air pollution, global environmental stress, plastic proliferation, and widespread adulteration. These realities demand that we return to the fundamentals of hospitality that once defined us. In India, whether as a nation or within individual homes, the principle has always been clear: the guest comes first. Anyone who enters our space is treated with dignity, care, and warmth. Extending that ethos to the hospitality industry is both natural and necessary.
What we lack today is, first, a shared belief system, and second, a streamlined approach. In my role leading sustainable tourism, and together with others who share this passion, we have transformed our work into a movement, one that is beginning to create lasting change. However, it cannot advance meaningfully unless every hotel and every player in the hospitality sector adopts sustainability as a non-negotiable responsibility.
Guests must also recognise their role. Sustainable tourism succeeds only when both providers and visitors participate consciously and responsibly.
Q: Given rising global expectations around tourist safety, what specialized training programs are essential to ensure internationally benchmarked security protocols, transport safety standards, and hygiene practices?
A: During my visits to various embassies, this concern repeatedly surfaced: travellers often hesitate to come, or they come once but do not continue. Several factors contribute to this, including the standards upheld by individual brands. Some brands deliver excellent hospitality and strong security, while others fall short.
A core issue is the depth of personal connection with guests. Whether someone is travelling from Turkey, Ayodhya, or a small village, he is my client, my customer, and in many ways, an extension of my family. Every hotel must offer hospitality that makes guests feel genuinely welcome and unquestionably safe, regardless of whether they are international or domestic visitors.
Hospitality cannot be reduced to serving food and providing a room. It must include comprehensive security: ensuring guests feel protected, supporting them in their movement, and guaranteeing the safety and integrity of their food and overall experience. For many travellers, the hotel becomes a second home. That reality demands that hotels engage with each guest thoughtfully and attentively. Hoteliers must know who their guests are, where they are coming from, and what they prefer or dislike.
I will explore this dimension further in our next meeting, especially the security of international travellers. In many cases, responsibility sits not only with hotels but also with travel agencies. Most guests book through agencies, which limits the hotel’s ability to understand their needs in advance. When guests book directly, the hotel can offer more personalised guidance and support, addressing every requirement and concern proactively.
Q: What trajectory of growth can be expected for India’s tourism industry over the next five years?
A: I already see the momentum building. I have worked in this industry for more than a decade, and as a third-generation hotelier, I can say with confidence that the growth potential is extraordinary. However, true progress will come only when we return to the fundamentals of hospitality. If we achieve that, we unlock the full power of national initiatives such as the Prime Minister’s “Wed in India” vision and the broader shift toward natural farming. When these priorities align, tourism will expand rapidly.
The key lies in bringing every community, every hotel, and every brand into a unified effort. Once that happens, the sector’s growth becomes unstoppable. India will surpass many destinations that people currently consider for leisure travel or destination weddings. If travellers can find everything they need here, quality, culture, comfort, and experience, there is no reason for them to look elsewhere.
Ultimately, we must believe in our own capability to deliver the best. When we do, the industry will reach levels far beyond what we imagine today.
