Hospitality Veteran JK Mohanty Awarded the IATO Hall of Fame

OdishaLIVE Bureau

Jitendra Kumar Mohanty, popularly known as JK in his close circle a veteran of Hotel and Hospitality Industry has received the IATO Hall of Fame Award 2017 for immense contribution to the Travel and Hospitality Industry in India. Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik along with Union Tourism Minister Shri K J Alphons presented the Award to Shri Mohanty during the Inaugural Ceremony of 33^rd IATO Annual Convention held at Bhubaneswar today.

Among others Odisha Tourism & Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda, Secretary, Tourism, Govt. of India Mrs. Rashmi Verma, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Govt. of Odisha Dr. Mona Sharma, IATO President Pronab Sarkar, IATO Vice President and convention Chairman Rajiv Mehra, Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Kumar Patasani, Bhubaneswar Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena, Bhubaneswar Central MLA Bijaya Mohanty and Bhubaneswar North MLA Priyadarshi Mishra were present on the dais during the award giving ceremony. JK Mohanty is the 42^nd person to be conferred with this award and in august company of former policy makers, bureaucrats and other renowned hoteliers and tourism industry stalwarts.

JK while receiving the award gave credit to his team at Swosti Group, the fraternity at large and his family without whom he is nothing as he often says. He thanked the IATO for their recognition of his work and invoked hospitality giants and travel operators from around the country to exhibit, advertise and explore Odisha as the next tourism hotspot of incredible India.

A home grown personality, JK is a visionary entrepreneur in hotel and hospitality sector known all over the world for his diverse achievements. CMD of the Swosti Group,he has prospered in the fields of Travel, Hospitality, Tourism, Education and Hospitality Management. A very down to earth person, he insists to burn his hands always wanting to do something new.

JK has built world class properties in Odisha like the Swosti Grand Hotel, Hotel Swosti Premium, Gopalpur Plam Resort and the newly unveiled state of the art Swosti Chilika Resort. He is equally and actively engaged in the Tour Operating Industry while receiving international recognition as one of the best tour operations agency in India.

An excellent brain in the business, he is a chairperson and member of top industry bodies like Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO), Eastern Zone Chairperson of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI), International Hotel and Catering Management Association (HMCIMA). He is also a key person in the Hotel Association of India, New Delhi. He represents the concerns of the industry in Govt. bodies like Tourism Advisory Committee, Airport Advisory Committee, State Eco-Tourism Board, Govt. of Odisha and Travel and Tourism Panel, FICCI Odisha State Council among other respected offices. Of late, JK has been involved in Education and Hospitality Management through the Swosti Institute of Management and Social Studies (SIMSS)

In addition, he is a very friendly and accessible person open to ideas and also encourages young minds in the industry and outside. He is proactive in driving his business but a humble man who gives all the credit to his team, fraternity and family. He has more than 40 years of experience in his field and has built landmark properties. In fact, Hotel Swosti Premium, Bhubaneswar houses one of the largest convention centres in Eastern India.

The world knows Swosti as a reliable brand of immense value and recognises JK as a self made man. He has proven himself to be an astute leader and an inspiration for the young guns looking to set foot in the industry.

Odisha Tourism Conclave inaugurated in 2013 was his brain child. The conclave successfully held its second session in 2017 with the participation of various stakeholders from the Govt. Tourism and Travel industry persons, Hoteliers, Media, Professionals, and others. The conclave was mooted by JK to discuss, deliberate and prepare a roadmap to take Odisha Tourism forward.