Airbnb, Oyo, Yatra & EaseMyTrip join hands to form Confederation of Hospitality, Technology and Tourism Industry

The fear of contracting the virus has also prompted people to shun travel and outdoor activities.

Airbnb, EaseMyTrip, Oyo Hotels & Homes and Yatra have joined hands to form an association — Confederation of Hospitality, Technology and Tourism Industry (CHATT) — an industry body that seeks to represent the interests of small and independent hotel and homeowners. CHATT will also join the efforts of the government to revive the travel and hospitality industry, bridge the digital gap, and provide educational training to small hotel and homeowners, travel partners, the association said in a statement on Wednesday.

The association comprises start-up founders and business leaders such as Amanpreet Bajaj- general manager, Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan; Nishant Pitti, co-founder & CEO of EaseMyTrip.com; Rohit Kapoor, CEO of Oyo India & Southeast Asia; and Dhruv Shringi, co-founder & CEO of Yatra.com.

“Last year, inspired by the feedback from India’s small hotels, independent hosts and travel operators, leading players of the industry such as Airbnb, EaseMyTrip, Oyo and Yatra started to discuss how interests of and challenges faced by these new-age entrepreneurs, building travel businesses beyond tier-1 cities of India, could also become an inclusive part of thought leadership and advocacy for the industry. The Covid-19 crisis presents a unique opportunity to collaborate on reviving the industry and only progress upwards from here on,” the association said.

Governments across the world imposed intermittent lockdowns and restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, crippling the hospitality and tourism industry. The fear of contracting the virus has also prompted people to shun travel and outdoor activities.

CHATT aims to promote domestic tourism, lead the digital transformation of tourism-related businesses and operating models while imparting educational training and beneficial programmes to all industry segments. Every member will be able to access CHATT’s resources and benefits. They will get the scope to participate in year-round programmes and signature business events. The members will have access to travel-tech ecosystem, including experts and regional leads.