Category Archives: Associations

India is among the top 11 destinations in terms of International Visitor Arrivals (IVAs) in Asia Pacific, and will record an Average Annual Growth Rates (AAGR) of 11.5 per cent between 2019-24, reveals the Executive Summary of the Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2020-2024, by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). The other destinations in top 11 include Cambodia, Bhutan, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Japan, Northern Marianas, Vietnam, Maldives and Korea. The report has predicted that nine out of 10 of these destinations will have  AAGRs of over 10 per cent between 2019-2024.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has informed that the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Government of India has extended the validity of Airport Entry Passes for tour operators till March 31, 2020. Earlier, the Bureau had extended the validity till January 31, which initially expired on December 31, 2019. “We are pleased to inform you that with our regular follow up with Ministry of Civil Aviation/Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the Director-General- Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has extended the validity of Commercial Airport Entry Passes up to 31st March 2020. Necessary directives have been issued to All Regional Directors of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to take necessary action accordingly,” said an IATO circular. The extension has been given only to the tour operators, till the time new mechanism for passes is finalized by the Bureau of Civil Aviation, Security.

PATA’s CEO Mario Hardy has resigned after serving the association for six years. He will leave in December when his current contract expires. He is on a fix-term contract and simply decided not to extend to another term. By the end of the year, it will be 7 years spent at PATA (1 year as COO and 6 years as CEO) for him. Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.

Amaresh Tiwari, Vice Chairman, Indian Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB), says, “The Finance Minister has focused on the  importance of tourism and announced following measures to boost tourism in India which is an inclusive growth indicator. She acknowledges the contribution of tourism in the development of India. 2500 cr have been allocated for tourism in 2021. 100 more Airports will be built by 2024 under Udaan and doubling of aircraft fleet has been announced. More trains like TEJAS to connect tourism sites will be initiated. Tribal museum is to be set up in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Five archaeological sites are to be developed to iconic sites with on –site museums.”

Capt. Swadesh Kumar, President, ATOAI, has said that they are disappointed since there has not been a significant increase in the budget allocated for tourism promotion. “Nevertheless, we are very delighted that 100 new airports will be developed under UDAN scheme. I hope these new airports should be in the far-flung areas of Himalayas as well, so that adventure tourism could also rise. We are also happy that Majuli Island in Assam has been added to the iconic sites list. I hope more such sites are included. I expected some announcement on natural heritage of the country for generating more employment opportunities, but would like the state governments to take it forward,” he said.

PP Khanna, President, Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), has said that the Government has really thought about tourism as an important sector. “It is a tool for the generation for employment as well as revenue generation. Announcing allocation of Rs 3500 crore for tourism in 2021 is a good move. Apart from that they have talked about airport, land, railways, waterways. They have covered everything that can be a tool for the development of tourism including 100 airports by 2024 and doubling aircraft fleet under UDAN scheme. More trains like Tejas and high sped trains would certainly boost tourism within the country. They have also selected 5 archaelogical sites to be developed with development of museums. Even 550 railway stations will be provided with wi-fi, which is a need today. With all these efforts tourism will be developed, what needs to be done now is to focus on skill development in the unorganised sector, which would make India a destination to look out for,” he says.

J.K. Mohanty, Hony. Secretary, Hotel Association of India (HAI) says,” We welcome the Govt. of India’s decision to increase the budget for tourism promotion from 575 crores in 2019 to 2500 crores and Rs.3150 crore for the promotion of Culture in place of INR 875.33 crore sanctioned in last year’s budget. Further, grant of INR 1.7 lakh crore to the transport infrastructure sector would definitely have positive impact in tourism sector. However, hospitality seems to have been neglected once more. Among our demands, the top beings  Hotels under infrastructure status,  has not been considered nor has it been declared as a priority sector for getting long term loans.

Pradip Lulla, Acting president and Vice President, Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), says, “The budget proposal to allocate 1.7 lakh crores with more faster Tejas type trains; better roads like Delhi Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru expressway; development of 5 iconic tourist centres and renovation of 4 museums; are welcome. Further reduction in direct taxes on individuals will create disposable income to spend on tourism. The deficit increasing to 3.8% would weaken the rupee and make outbound more expensive.”

Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI), says, “The appeal for further reduction of GST and infrastructure status for hospitality remains still in the wish list.  Neighboring countries continue to have the advantage of a lower GST, while hospitality industry which is a major facilitator of jobs in India remains at a disadvantage. Single window clearances for hospitality projects remain a pipe dream, even as hotels continue to face challenging situations. The only positive lies in allocations to build infrastructure wherein 100 more airports will be developed by 2024, roads will be built and new trains and tracks will facilitate connectivity to tourist destinations, which may help draw in more business.”

Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), claims that there was nothing great about the budget. She says, “The Government has just increased the allocation for tourism and they are investing in heritage and culture, which is very good. Of course they should be doing that because these monuments need to be maintained. The Government has picked up some states where they will be developing iconic sites. Apart from that there is nothing great about the budget. It’s just that the money has been increased, which is anyways allocated every year. There was no mention of GST for tourism and no corpus created separately for investment, which we had recommended. Overall it was a normal budget with many things done for growth and infrastructure within the country. They are doing good for railways, but not much for the growth of the industry. I am not satisfied.”