Highlighting the future prospects, Union Civil Aviation Minister, Kinjrapu Rammohan Naidu stated, “Our vision is to transform India into a leading aviation hub. The Indian MRO industry is projected to become a $4 billion industry by 2030. This policy change is a crucial step towards building a strong ecosystem for MRO services, driving innovation, and ensuring sustainable growth.” 

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said, “India’s Travel & Tourism sector is bouncing back with remarkable vigour, driven by a surge in domestic tourism. The Indian government’s ambition to facilitate 100 million inbound tourists at the anniversary of India’s independence in 2047, as part of the @2047 ambition, will supercharge the Indian economy and make India one of the world’s most popular travel destinations.” 

Tamil Nadu Travel Expo will be held in Madurai from 20 to 22 September this year at Grand Madurai by GRT Hotels. One of the important aspects and focus of the expo will be to turn Tamil Nadu into a favoured destination for weddings. Nearly 250 people from across the country and abroad will take part in the expo. 

Rajesh Magow, Co-founder & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip said, “Online travel agents (OTAs) in India are struggling with the challenging requirement of obtaining state-wise GST registrations. Allowing OTAs to register in State(s) through their central head office would significantly alleviate these burdens, streamline operations, and enhance efficiency. This requirement puts national OTAs at a disadvantage compared to international competitors who are not subjected to similar regulations.”   

Pradeep Shetty, President, Hotel And Restaurant Association (Western India) – HRAWI said, “The current GST rates for hospitality are among the highest globally, making tourism expensive. We urge the abolition of the 18 per cent GST category for hotels with room rates above Rs.7500, merging it with the 12 per cent GST category to boost both domestic and inbound tourism. Ease of doing business is essential.”   

Skyscanner’s latest research reveals that Indian travellers have a strong appetite for travel and are keen value hunters, always scouting for great offers. 75 per cent of these travellers indicated they would be tempted to book another getaway if they found an irresistible offer. Given that travel budgets are a key consideration, finding the perfect offer is crucial. 

According to ICRA’s analysis of monthly domestic passenger traffic data for the aviation industry in June 2024, domestic air passenger traffic was estimated at approximately 132.8 lakh, marking a decrease of about 3.7% from 137.9 lakh in May 2024. However, it showed a year-on-year growth of approximately 6.3% and was notably higher by around 10.4% compared to pre-Covid levels.  

Goa’s tourism minister Rohan Khaunte emphasised the draft bill aims to curb revenue leakages and enforce discipline in the sector. He said, “There is significant revenue leakage from events that never pay any fees to the tourism department. We will levy a fee to regulate these events.” 

Naveen Kundu, Managing Director of Ebixcash Travel Group, urges the Finance Minister, stating, “Increasing the budget for meetings and events under the ‘Meet in India’ initiative is not just an investment in event hosting but a strategic move to bolster India’s global standing and economic growth. I kindly request your support and consideration in revising the budget allocation to ensure that ‘Meet in India’ continues to thrive and contribute significantly to our national goals.” 

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Tourism, has said that the National Tourism Policy needs a fundamental transformative idea to be launched in a big way. “The MOT can do everything in the draft policy even without its launch. We need to look at what is that single all-encompassing transformative idea that we need to leverage into the new policy,” he said.