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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry has changed the way hotel businesses function and manage their operations. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce Industry (FICCI) and OYO, one of the world's leading chain of hotels and homes, have come together to develop and design an online training and certification course specifically for the hospitality industry. The course will focus on redesigning the sanitization protocols and minimizing person-to-person contact for a hotel in line with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) announced by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The certification course will help thousands of individual budget, mid-segment, boutique hotels and homestays in India as well as hospitality professionals, to maintain and improve their safety and hygiene standards in line with government and industry benchmarks and best practices. This course is available in Hindi and English.

The certification course will have a set of nine training modules built to help hotels and hospitality professionals implement key safety guidelines. These modules include hotel, staff, guest, front-office, F B service, housekeeping, guest room cleaning, and food production advisories. This will also include an advisory on how to handle suspected COVID or COVID-positive guests.

The online certification course can be accessed at   https://training.ficci.com/tourism/index.php

FICCI will enable and support the implementation of Information Technology (IT) infrastructure and the online delivery platform for the online certification course. The Federation will also create awareness on the program in the hospitality industry and provide certification on course completion. OYO has developed and designed the course materials for the program. The partnership is envisaged to create an avenue for hotels and hospitality professionals to meet the challenges of operating a hotel in the present circumstances and provide relevant solutions to address the same.

Upon completion of the course and after due evaluation, successful candidates will receive a Certificate of Compliance by FICCI that will help them implement key safety guidelines, boost customer confidence and help in demand creation as travel resumes in a post-COVID world. The course will also open up avenues for candidates to build a strong career in the hospitality industry.

Commenting on the development, Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General FICCI said, "The hospitality industry in India has both thousands of unorganized and organized players who are vital contributors to both economic opportunities as well as local tourism. COVID-19 has forced changes in operating procedures for all kinds of businesses across the globe and the hospitality industry is no exception to it, hence any support to this large set of professionals and hotels will not only help them navigate the uncertainties better but also drive business and revitalize the tourism potential. This course has been designed to help develop a uniform set of self-regulating guidelines and create supporting mechanisms and frameworks for our industry so that they can benefit from systematic guidelines and sanitation protocols in the post-COVID world."

Mr. Ritesh Agarwal, Founder Group CEO, OYO Hotels Homes said, "We have spent considerable time and effort in understanding the requirements of customers and hotels in a post-COVID world. The certification course will enable hospitality professionals and hotels across the country to determine new ways of working, fully understand local and central governments' guidelines, align with best practices and reimagine operations in a manner that helps both customers and employees feel safe, secure and comfortable. As a global hospitality chain, we are committed to driving best practices across the hospitality industry, sharing our learnings, and co-creating a successful future of hospitality in India and beyond. Our collaboration with FICCI is a step in that direction and we are thankful for their support."

Sharing his thoughts on the initiative, Mr. Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism Culture, Govt of India said, "We welcome the initiative of FICCI OYO to harness technology to develop a certification course that can provide guidance to small and medium hotel enterprises as well as professionals in maintaining high standards of hygiene, sanitation, and operational effectiveness. India has immense tourism potential and any initiative that can help ensure our guests feel comfortable and confident in their travel journeys across the country will go a long way in contributing to the twin visions of Dekho Apna Desh and Incredible India."

FICCI and OYO are committed to strengthening the support mechanisms in the hospitality industry, promote and participate in the government's efforts for attracting domestic and foreign tourists and contribute to the future of hospitality in the country.