New Delhi: Ministry of Tourism in its ongoing efforts to strengthen the Hospitality & Tourism Industry especially in the times of the pandemic has signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MakeMyTrip (India) Private Limited and Ibibo Group Private Limited on 17 August 2021. Ministry of Tourism has already signed MoUs with Easy my Trip, Clear trip, and Yatra.com.

The primary objective of this MoU is to provide extensive visibility to accommodation units, which have self-certified themselves on SAATHI (System for Assessment, Awareness & Training for the Hospitality Industry) on the OTA platform. The MoU also outlines both parties to encourage Units to register on NIDHI and thereby on SAATHI and encourage the local tourism Industry with appropriate safeguards for curbing the spread of COVID-19. The idea is also to gather more information on accommodation units to gain actionable insights & designing evidence-based & targeted policy measures and promote safe, honourable, and sustainable tourism.

The event was organized under the arrangement between the Ministry of Tourism and Quality Council of India (QCI) for implementing measures for strengthening the Indian Hospitality & Tourism Industry.

The signing MoU was done in the presence of Shri Rakesh Kumar Verma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Shri Sanjay Singh, Deputy Director General (H&R), Ministry of Tourism, Dr. A Raj, Senior Director, QCI, Shri Mohit Singh, Deputy Director, QCI, Dr. Mahavir Prasad Tiwari, Deputy Director, QCI, Shri. Abhishek Logani, Chief Business Officer-Hotels, MakeMyTrip (India) Private Limited & Ibibo Group Private Limited and Shri. Venkatesh Ramakrishna, SVP – Corporate Affairs, MakeMyTrip (India) Private Limited & Ibibo Group Private Limited.

The Ministry of Tourism and MakeMyTrip (India) Private Limited & Ibibo Group Private Limited will endeavor to take necessary steps to encourage and promote strategic and technical co-operation in the Indian hospitality & tourism sector for overall benefit in the identified areas through the MoU. It is expected, that, in the future more OTAs will come forward for signing such MOUs to strengthen the Hospitality & Tourism Industry of India.