India has had a spate of tragic deaths in the tourism industry in recent days, many of which can be attributed to COVID-19.
- These recent coronavirus deaths included Anil Bhandari, Vijay Thakur, and Rajendera Kumar.
- Today, that list of hospitality deaths has been added to with the likes of the dynamic and brilliant Dr. Ankur Bhatia.
- Dr. Bhatia died at the age of 48 with the cause of death being listed as cardiac arrest.
Dr. Ankur Bhatia was one of the most qualified persons in the industry, and he pioneered the use of technology in airline bookings and airport management. He had also diversified into hotels with the Roseate chain in India and abroad. Ankur was involved with several travel associations, where he made significant contributions.
Dr. Bhatia was the Executive Director of Bird Group which operates several business verticals including the Indian wing of global travel technology firm Amadeus, airport ground handling services BWFS, and a chain of BMW dealerships in Delhi under Bird Automotive.
As executive director, Bhatia was credited for driving growth in Bird Group’s hospitality businesses, including growing the Roseate Hotels & Resorts brand.
Bird Group issued a statement saying: “It is with profound grief that we inform you about the sudden demise of our beloved Dr. Ankur Bhatia, Executive Director, Bird Group. Dr. Bhatia (48) suffered a massive cardiac arrest this morning and succumbed to it.
“We have not only lost our leader, our visionary but the world has lost an astounding human being. The Bhatia family is in a state of deep shock and requests you to respect their privacy in this difficult time of grief.”
