Underpinning the increased fund allocation for tourism in the Interim Budget 2024, Kanwarjit Singh Sawhney, Honorary Secretary, ITTA, expects, “More fund allocation in Union Budget 2024 for upgrading road transport. Tourist transport operators should be allowed to import vehicles on zero or subsidised import duty and reduced GST.”

Singapore Tourism’s multi-city roadshow ‘Holidays Made in Singapore’ launches today in Chennai, aiming to bolster ties with the Indian travel trade community. Featuring 50 exhibitors from diverse sectors, the event will proceed to Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad. The roadshow seeks to attract more Indians to Singapore.

Advocating for promoting domestic tourism during her maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha, Sudha Murty, philanthropist highlighted India’s cultural richness, noting that while the country boasts 42 World Heritage sites, an additional 57 are awaiting recognition. She emphasised the need for well-packaged tourism initiatives, with adequate infra.

According to WTTC 2024 report, India’s travel and tourism sector has recovered significantly but international travel spend in India continues to remain below pre-Covid levels. Consulting firm McKinsey & Company had earlier projected that India will become the fourth-largest domestic travel market in terms of spending by 2030.

Bidisha Mukherjee, Additional Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Toursim Board (MPTB), shared, “MP Tourism aims to position the state as a premier multi-speciality destination. There has been a three-fold increase in footfall numbers, from 32.1 million visitors in 2022 to 112 million in 2023. Inbound tourism is also on the rise.”

Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO said, “We requested the Prime Minister for financial support to be provided to tour operators based on their foreign exchange earnings. Additionally, we urged the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, to allocate a budget of rupees ₹1,000 crore or more for the revival of incoming tourism.”

Visit Maldives and Manta Air with key resort/guest house partners have successfully concluded the “Explore Maldives” roadshow held at the prestigious Shangri-La Bengaluru on June 26, 2024. The roadshow aimed at reigniting the interest of Indian travelers to attract more Indian tourists provided excellent networking opportunities between the partner resorts/guest houses and the travel industry leaders in India. The very successful event attended by 130+ agents and media personnel saw participation from major hospitality chains of Maldives that included all segments including resorts and guest houses of Maldives along with DMCs, Travel Agents and Tour Operators as well as MICE travel organizers from India. Participation by travel industry leaders of India including Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) Karnataka Chapter and Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) – Karnataka Chapter, provided much needed fuel to reignite interest amongst Indian travelers to seek Maldives as preferred holiday destination. The full-day event opened by Zihuny Rasheed, Deputy Managing Director, Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC) was followed by presentations by key resort partners and multiple networking sessions that provided invaluable opportunities for the partner resorts/guest houses to engage with the attending travel agents and tour operators. The grand event hosted with tremendous support from the partners also saw numerous raffles and giveaways provided by the esteemed resorts partners exclusively for the event. “Manta Air’s regular direct flights between the Garden City of India (Bengaluru) and the Sunny Side of Life (Maldives) is a significant step forward in not only improving connectivity but also accessibility, making it easier than ever for Indian tourists to reach our shores, and vice versa.” said Zihuny Rasheed. “Building bridges between our cultures is vital, as India and …

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Tourism, has said that TCS is a fair point raised by outbound sector, because people who are doing business in India are getting disincentivised and who travel abroad can make the payment and obviate the entire necessity of paying the tax. “We will be taking it up with the Ministry of Finance,” he added.

OTOAI had a follow-up meeting with Suman Billa, Addl. Secretary, Tourism after heads of travel trade associations met new Union Minister of Tourism. “We have been assured that the ministry will take our issues. We will meet again to discuss how outbound tourism is benefiting inbound tourism,” said Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI.

Speaking about the suggestions HAI proposed to the MOT, KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group (RHG), and President, HAI, said, “Government has to tweak some of the policies, particularly to give infrastructure status to the tourism sector, and for talent development.”