The tourism industry across the world is staring at bleak prospects in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In India, the sector is staring at a potential loss of Rs 1.25 trillion over the next two quarters while 38 million jobs stand in grave danger in the coming months.
In 2019, we undertook a study, with support from Bread for the World, on the complex terrain of platformisation on the tourism industry in India, which analysed the rise of data-based optimisation as well as adverse and negative impacts on the local economies where tourism and hospitality activities unfold.
This policy brief summarises key highlights of that study and puts forth recommendations for policy actors towards effective regulation of the tourism industry. We believe the study – Techno-Disruptions and Travel: Examining the Impact of Platformisation in the Indian Tourism Sector – is well positioned to inform the post-Covid tourism sector in India. The post-Covid moment offers both a moment of introspection as well an opportunity for rebooting Indian tourism to harness the digital advantage while reining in the runaway power of large platform companies.
