Centre and States need to work together, says tourism body

Jyoti Mayal, President of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) believes that coordination and relationship between centre, states and countries is vital and is need of the hour

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The travel, tourism and hospitality industry is again in the midst of lockdowns, over information, wrong protocols and no coordination between the Centre and States domestically and countries with each other at a global level. Jyoti Mayal, President of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) believes that coordination and relationship between centre, states and countries is vital and is need of the hour.

“We need specific MICE infrastructure, incentivised trade fairs, training specific to avenue of tourism, conservation development, branding, marketing, intra-ministerial coordination, PPP model, country wise B2B meets, guides strategy, travel marts, helplines, local officers’ orientation and sensitisation and most importantly taxes and specific infrastructure for this huge value chain,” she said.

Key issues and challenges impacting the survival of travel agents and intermediaries in India should be covered, and immediate and medium-term milestones to be laid out for the recovery of this industry. The government needs to give heed to developing a sustainable model for this sector

“Secondly, incentives in different formats are the need of the hour, private partnerships will play a major role. Travel agents to be partner in all initiatives to build infrastructure, market products and sell. Lower taxes and seamless credit inputs need to definitely put in practice as India struggles with the new variant of Covid and the third wave.

“Thirdly, government should clearly address how to organise the travel agents’ industry. Travel agents and intermediaries need to be defined to get them to be included in the concurrent list to avail Industry Status and it should identify the emerging trends in travel agents and other intermediaries and how to ensure parity of policies between travel agents and other intermediaries to ensure their survival. Key issues and challenges impacting the survival of travel agents and intermediaries in India should be covered, and immediate and medium-term milestones to be laid out for the recovery of this industry. The government needs to give heed to developing a sustainable model for this sector. This sector deserves correction, support which will help India to develop economically and create more and more employment. This is the strength of this sector which is undercapitalized,” Mayal added.

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