Category Archives: Associations

Sharing his comments on the recent IT outage that crashed 8.5 million computers, Willie Walsh, IATA’s DG, says, “The first lesson is humility. IT glitches happen. And they can happen on a massive scale. My initial thought is to thank travelers for their patience and all those who worked long and hard to return our world to normality. And that is quickly followed by a desire to understand how all industries could be better protected from and prepared for such failures. Indeed, questions are already being raised around the overall resilience of businesses and society to cope, which may lead to greater political scrutiny.”

Uttar Pradesh Chapter of IATO conducted two chapter meetings in Varanasi and in Agra on 21st of July and on the 26th of July respectively. Both the meetings were attended by about 40 members of IATO at each location and many attendees were new members who have recently joined IATO from UP. Uttar Pradesh is a very important state and in the last financial year only it has added 35 new members to the impressive membership list of IATO. Both the meetings were conducted by Prateek Hira, the Chapter Chair of Uttar Pradesh. Guest of Honour in Varanasi meeting was Rajendra Rawat, Deputy Director – UP Tourism and similarly In the Agra Meeting the Guest of Honour was Deepti Vatsa, Regional Tourist Officer along with Harish Kumar of Ministry of Tourism, GoI. Regional Chapter Chair, Sunil C. Gupta presided over the Agra meeting along with Prateek Hira. Uttar Pradesh Chairman of IATO and Varanasi meeting was chaired by Prateek Hira. The meetings discussed and deliberated on issues and problems faced by members in the state of Uttar Pradesh and solutions to these were instantly provided by the attending government officers and the IATO’s Regional chairmaen Sunil C. Gupta and UP Chapter Chairman Prateek Hira. Sunil C. Gupta enumerated the achievements of IATO and invited all members to register for the upcoming IATO Convention in Bhopal and take advantage of the knowledge sessions and familiarization tours planned thereafter. Prateek Hira on another hand spoke about the schemes of the governments and informed the members how each of them can take advantage of the schemes after registering with the state government. He also heard all the problems being faced by the members …

Pradeep Shetty, President, HRAWI, said that he was happy with Maharashtra’s Tourism Policy 2024, adding, “The annual financial allocation of INR 1,666 Cr for incentives and operational support underscores the Government’s commitment to enhancing tourism and hospitality infrastructure. This progressive framework, aimed at positioning Maharashtra as a global tourist destination, is a game-changer for our industry.”

Speaking of the new Tata Asset Management’s tourism Index Fund, Anand Vardarajan, Chief Business Officer at Tata Asset Management said, “We are witnessing exponential growth in domestic aviation, hotels, restaurants and travel which augurs very well for the tourism segment.  All types of travel, be it pilgrimage, business, medical or leisure are registering a surge.  This makes a compelling case for looking at tourism as a segment and how one could invest and aim to benefit from the growth of this sector.”

As the 39th IATO Convention is set to take place in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, the association records 300 registrations within the first few days. More than 1,000 delegates from all over India are expected to take part in the convention. The key focus will be to promote the lesser-known destinations in Madhya Pradesh through post-tour activities.

“Tourism and hospitality play a crucial role in the growth of the Indian economy. However, there has been no policy announcement to facilitate the development of hotels and the promotion of inbound tourism”, says KB Kachru, President, HAI. The industry will continue to ask for a grant of infrastructure status for the hospitality sector, he said.

Commenting on the Union Budget, KB Kachru, President, HAI, stated, “There is a continued focus on infrastructural development, fiscal prudence and consolidation whereas tourism continues to be accepted as an engine of growth for the economy. The emphasis has been given to spiritual tourism, however, there is no mention of any policy changes to expedite the growth.” He further said, “Tourism and hospitality play a crucial role in the growth of the Indian economy. The continued focus on government spending on infrastructure development augurs well for the sector. Improved infrastructure would translate into better connectivity which will be beneficial to the promotion of tourism. The development of the eastern region especially Odisha, temple corridors in Gaya and  Bodhgaya, Rajgir and the identification of Nalanda as a key tourism site continue to demonstrate the government’s intent to utilize the potential of tourism. Regrettably, however, there has been no policy announcement to facilitate the development of hotels and promotion of inbound tourism. The announcement of GST simplification, comprehensive review of the income tax Act provides some hope for the sector that has been seeking rationalisation of taxes. The benefits to individuals on taxation will augment the spending power. The focus on skilling and incentivising employers for creating jobs are other positives that will benefit all sectors.” Although not directly linked to this budget, the industry would continue pursuing its ask for grant of infrastructure status for the hospitality sector and industry-related benefits by all state governments, Kachru added.

Giving his reaction to the Union Budget announced today, PP Khanna, President, ADTOI, said, “The budget was expected to be a comprehensive roadmap for the next five years but appears to lack substantial long-term strategies. Specific sectors, such as tourism, received attention, but the initiatives may seem insufficient in scope.” Commenting further, he said, “The government has implemented GST, which has reduced the compliance burden on trade and industry by unifying the highly fragmented indirect tax regime in India. The tax base of GST has more than doubled, and the average monthly gross GST collection has almost doubled to ₹1.66 lakh crore. On the other hand, no specific information on TCS in the tourism industry is available. The tourism industry has been impacted by the introduction of GST and TCS, with some tour operators and travel agencies facing challenges in complying with the new tax regime. However, the government has taken steps to simplify the tax process and reduce the compliance burden on businesses. The general sentiment is that the budget does not fully meet the high expectations set by previous promises.”

Sharing his reaction to the Union Budget 2024, Pradeep Shetty, President of FHRAI, says, “The hospitality sector has been pinning high hopes on the Union Budget for 2024- 25 presented today, on the backdrop of the Government of India’s stated vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 and the critical role tourism industry holds in achieving it. However, there is nothing spectacular in the budget to bring structural changes to address the fundamental challenges it faces in a competitive world order and to accelerate the growth of the sector to be a $ 3 trillion economy by 2047. Some key demands of tourism & hospitality to revitalise the sector such as GST rationalisation, granting of infrastructure status and bringing ease of doing business and policy reforms have not been considered in the budget once again, given the well accepted multiplier effect of tourism on employment and economy. The hospitality sector is disappointed but not dejected as the overall focus on infrastructure development, employment generation and skill development and development of religious tourism centres are the silver linings which will help the sector to tide over some of the critical challenges that it faces today. The focus of Budget 2024 on youth employment, skill development and job creation are welcome initiatives. The industry has been facing a shortage of skilled workforce,especially in the hospitality sector. It is also laudable that the Honourable Finance Minister’s Budget speech highlights the Governments’ commitment to make India a premier global travel destination through targeted investment and strategic initiatives. Development of iconic spiritual sites along with promotion of cruise and beach tourism can be helpful in attracting both domestic and international tourists.”

Reacting to the Union Budget which has been announced today, Gajesh Girdhar, National Coordinator, NIMA, said, “We welcome some of the initiatives proposed in the Union Budget such as the government’s continuous focus on the development of domestic and inbound tourism, encouragement to the Indian cruise tourism industry by offering a simpler tax regime for foreign shipping companies looking to operate and lease the vessels in Indian waters. This is a significant move not only for domestic tourists but also to attract foreign tourists, who always look for new cruise destinations.” Giving a further boost to religious tourism, the Finance Minister has emphasised developing new destinations in Gaya and Bodh Gaya. However, there is no mention of any specific concession on GST and TCS for Indian Outbound Travellers to the dismay of the Tour Operator Fraternity, Girdhar further said.