Chennai, Nov 19 (IANS) The annual convention of All India Hotels and Restaurants will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Dec 7-8, its organisers said Thursday.

The convention, organised by South India Hotels and Restaurants Association, will discuss various issues faced by the industry.

This is the first time the convention is going to be held in Kerala.

Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will inaugurate the convention, which will be addressed by union ministers and industry leaders.

The Indian hotel industry, largely dependent on the business travellers, was hit by the global economic slowdown. But now the sector is looking to happier times with the economy picking up, the association said in a release.

According to the association, a total of 45,640 hotel rooms will be added by the industry over the next five years in 11 major cities, taking the total room supply to 94,115.