92 year old anti - women law struck down 
Empowerment of Women in Hotels Receives Major Boost

The Hotel Association of India scored a major judicial success in the High Court of Delhi in its legal battle to carry forward the movement for empowerment of women and providing them equal opportunities for work in hotels across the country.

On a petition filed by the Hotel Association of India, the Delhi High Court, Bench of Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice H.R. Malhotra struck down the 92 year old legal section of the Punjab Excise Act enacted during the British Rule in India in 1914 which prohibited employment of women of any age in duly licensed Bars and other Food and Beverage Outlets where liquor is served to customers.

The apex forum of hoteliers, HAI had filed a Writ Petition in the High Court of Delhi in July 1999 for declaring the Section 30 of the Punjab Excise Act, 1914 ultra vires under Article 226 of the Constitution of India.

Describing Section 30 of Punjab Excise Act, 1914 as "totally misplaced" , the HAI Writ argued that in the changed economic and social conditions of the new millennium, women have equal rights with men and are competing with men in all spheres and vocations and such a prohibition on their employment at a work place in hotels is arbitrary, discriminates against women on the basis of gender and amounts to violation of their right to carry on a vocation.

The two member bench of the High Court of Delhi, which upheld the hotel body's petition, declared Section 30 ultra vires.

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Tourism Accorded Recognition in the Union Budget 

The Central Budget is the flagship economic event of the financial year and presented to the Nation by the Honourable Union Minister of Finance each year. The Budget for 2003-2004 was a historic one in so far as the Hotel Industry is concerned. Presented by Mr. Jaswant Singh, the then Hon'ble Union Finance Minister on 28th February 2003 to the Parliament it represented a watershed in the growth of tourism sector in India.

It accorded due recognition to the aspirations of the Tourism Industry presented as various memoranda by the Hotel Association of India to the Central Government regularly and persistently. Several visible 'tourist-friendly' measures were included in the Union Budget of 2003-04 with the objective of making India a more affordable destination, fuel growth of the hospitality infrastructure, facilitate business re-organization and re-structuring in the hospitality industry and motivating State Government to rationalize tourism tax regimes.

The Budget chalked out an effective road map for making tourism a catalyst in the national economic growth. It helped in changing the perception of India as being a high tax destination and helped the Indian Hotels become more competitive as compared to hotels in rival destinations. It was the turning point for Tourism which got recognized as a force that could impact positively the economic condition of tourism friendly regions and states on account of its high multiplier effect, employment potential and contribution to foreign Exchange earnings.

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Embracing Technology

Showing the way in adopting modern technology to improve Hotel Operations, Hotel Association of India organized the first Infotech Hotels Expo on April 10 - 11, 2000 in New Delhi with support from the United Nation Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific, the SAARC Tourism Council. The Ministeries of Tourism and of Information Technology, Government of India, were co-sponsors of the event.  

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Stretching beyond the National frontiers

HAI's programmes for the hospitality industry stretched beyond the national frontiers. Three SAARC Seminars were organized at Agra, Bangalore and Delhi in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), SARCC Hotel Association, International Hotel and Restaurant Association and SAARC Tourism Council. 

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                                                   Inking of Global Code of Conduct

A HAI-led initiative marked the successful culmination of 30 years of prolonged discussion between Hoteliers, Travel Agents and Tour Operators with the signing of the International Code of conduct by Mr. S S H Rehman (President, HAI), Mr.Pradip Madhavji (President TAAI) and Mr.Subash Goyal (President of IATO) on April 28, 2000.The agreement put India at par with the development countries in following an accepted Global Code of Conduct. It cleared the decks for other hospitality associations to follow the trail led by HAI.

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Advocating quality service

Seen at the SAARC Seminar on Hygiene Management held on 22nd - 23rd July, 1999 at Taj Palace, New Delhi are, left to right, Dr Roshan Lal(Chairman DTTDC), Mr R K Puri(Secretary General, HAI), Mr S K Misra(VICE President, INTACH)and S S H Rehman(President, HAI)  

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Incentivizing the Industry

Seen in the photograph is Mr R K Krishna Kumar, Managing Director, IHC Ltd, presenting the HAI Memorandum to Mr Hegde, the then Hon'ble Union Minister of Commerce at a special meeting in New Delhi on July 16, 1998. The action plan presented by HAI was formally implemented with the issuing of a Govt. Notification dated Nov 26, 1998 declaring Hotels and Tourism Units earning specified quantum of foreign exchange as service Export House/ international Service Export House, etc

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