Category Archives: Associations

The Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) has waived off the annual membership fee for the financial year 2021 – 22. The association has reduced the fees by 50% for the financial year 2020 – 2021. Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI said, “This is not the time to make money or fill up reserves. We understand the plight of our fellow industry colleagues and this gesture is our way of showing our solidarity to them. The outbound from India has been severely affected and it will indeed take a while before things go back to normal. The second wave has hit all businesses, especially tourism (which had started to pick a little in December / January) severely and different entry laws / requirements by different countries has made outbound travel very challenging. I would also like to urge people in the travel fraternity to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest possible so that whenever tourism opens, our customers do not hesitate reaching out to us and it will also send out a positive message to the world.”

In a written appeal, IATO has urged the Union Finance Minister to ask the GST council to consider rationalisation or lowering of GST on various tourism related services at their upcoming meeting. In a statement, IATO has said that this would help boost the sector as and when the revival happens.  Rajiv Mehra, President IATO, said “The inbound tourism has been the worst hit and if we were to get these financial relief it will help us give us some strength to bounce back. Sincerely hope that our requests will be given serious consideration by the GST council. I would also request the Ministry of Home Affairs to start planning on opening an E-Tourist Visa in phases as Vaccination in many source markets like USA, UK and other European Markets are almost complete. This can be done in stages and on reciprocal basis, so that inbound tourism business can start which will not only revive economic activities but also will bring back jobs lost during the last 14 months.”

Keeping in mind the prevailing tough times where the tourism sector has been one of the worst hits, the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) has waived off the annual membership fee for the financial year 2021 – 22. The Association had reduced the fees by 50% for the financial year 2020 – 2021. The move is a testament of the fact that the association recognises and empathises with the challenges being faced by the outbound tour operators in India today.   Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI said, “This is not the time to make money or fill up reserves. We understand the plight of our fellow industry colleagues and this gesture is our way of showing our solidarity to them. The outbound from India has been severely affected and it will indeed take a while before things go back to normal. The second wave has hit all businesses, especially tourism (which had started to pick a little in December / January) severely and different entry laws/requirements by different countries has made outbound travel very challenging. I would also like to urge people in the travel fraternity to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest possible so that whenever tourism opens, our customers do not hesitate to reach out to us and it will also send out a positive message to the world.”

NIMA, on the occasion of its 7th Foundation Day, has reconstituted its Executive Team, and has announced Jagdeep Bhagat from Vee Bee Tours as the National Coordinator for the second time. Gajesh Girdhar from Paryatan, Muzaffarnagar, has been announced as the Chairman Emeritus, while SanJeet from Buzz Travel Marketing is the Mentor for the association. Vikas Khanduri of Holiday Merchants is the Advisor for the team.

For the first time in India, an agency representative chaired the Airline Passenger Joint Council of IATA (APJC) which was held virtually on May 25 and attended by the airline representatives and agency representatives of TAAI and TAFI. In a historic move, TAAI President Jyoti Mayal was unanimously selected to the chair the meeting. TAAI was represented by Vice President – Jay Bhatia, Hon. Secretary General – Bettaiah Lokesh, Hon. Treasurer – Shreeram Patel and UFTAA President and Past President – TAAI, Sunil Kumar Rumalla. The agency representatives took up all the important points of concern and have made recommendations through APJC to PAPGJC / PSG which shall be taken up at PAconf also.

Urging the government for relief measures in a letter, TAAI has stated, ‘We do not seek grants as alms, but seek support in terms of repayable loans. This shall be repaid back to the Government post the 5-year period after the crisis ends. This shall only be an interim working capital for survival and revival along with ease of doing business. Contribution from this ministry and the trade especially in the last five years, deserves a Cabinet berth in your Government. TAAI’s letter said.

FHRAI has stated that the RBI’s latest policy measures are grossly inadequate to address the problems of the hospitality industry and that the sector has yet again been ignored. Tourism and hospitality business being seasonal and dynamic, the industry is looking to receive specific tweaks in Resolution Framework 2.0 and has even submitted a representation to the RBI Governor.

IATA has said that it supports the unrestricted access to travel for vaccinated travellers as a growing number of countries make data and evidence-driven decisions to open their borders to them. In cases where vaccination is not possible, access to quarantine-free travel should be provided through COVID-19 testing strategies based on widely available, free-of-charge tests, the Associations suggests.

In his farewell message, Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA, said that he encourages everyone to pause and reflect on the lessons learned over the past year and be there for one another. “Now more than ever, partnering for a better tomorrow is critical. I truly wish the travel and tourism industry will experience a speedy and effective recovery so that we can all travel again soon, see our family, our friends and enjoy discovering new places and cultures.” He will be succeeded by Liz Ortiguera.

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has submitted a representation to PM Narendra Modi, FM Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of MSME Nitin Gadkari and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel requesting for urgent support to save the sector from imminent collapse. It has stated that financial reliefs extended during the first pandemic wave were inadequate and improperly implemented. The FHRAI has pleaded for immediate fiscal measures including a 3-year moratorium extension on all loans and a complete waiver of interest on loans.