Hotel boom sparks reverse migration
With new hotel signings going up in remote locations, thousands of new jobs will get created in the hospitality sector in several small towns this year.How are chains hoping to fulfil demand? By investing CSR funds on skilling and upskilling locals, and through reverse migration, enabling existing employees to move back to their hometowns, senior executives at leading hotel chains said.Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) had last month signed a memorandum of understanding for India's largest hospitality skilling centre in Goa in partnership with the state's skills department.“This will significantly support the thriving tourism ecosystem in Goa, providing opportunities for hospitality training in the state and neighbouring regions,” Gaurav Pokhariyal, executive vice president for HR at IHCL, had said then. “As we continue to expand our portfolio in tier two and tier three cities such as Jamshedpur, Nagpur and Kumbalgarh, we are focusing on skilling the local workforce,” he added.Sanjay Bose, executive vice president for HR, learning and development at ITC Hotels, said the chain’s expansion “into tier two and tier three cities presents significant opportunities for reverse migration.”ITC Hotels also reached out to over 300 institutions last year for structured internship programmes covering over 5,000 students, Bose said.Better work-life balance and lower cost of living are prompting many professionals to relocate to tier two, tier three locations, according to Vinay Jaswal, vice president, HR operations (South Asia) and HR tech and analytics (APEC), at Marriott International.Nikhil Sharma, managing director and COO, South Asia, of Radisson Hotel Group, said 50% of the workforce at its hotel in Saputara hill station in Gujarat have earlier worked in the metros. “We anticipate creating 3,000 new jobs across India, propelled by new openings in tier-two and tier-three markets.