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Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
IATO Calls for Formation of India Tourism Board with ₹1,000 Crore Budget to Boost Inbound Tourism, ET TravelWorld
Advt By , ETTravelWorld Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis. Download ETTravelWorld App Get Realtime updates Save your favourite articles Scan to download App The Indian Association of Tour Operators ( IATO ) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi , urging immediate intervention to revive inbound tourism by allocating a INR 1,000 crore budget under the Incredible India campaign and forming a central ' India Tourism Board ' under the Prime Minister's leadership. The move comes in light of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India remaining below 2019 levels during the last financial on internal assessments and consultations with inbound tourism stakeholders, IATO has concluded that India continues to underperform despite its natural and cultural appeal. The letter highlights the urgency of action, pointing out that the upcoming season offers a narrow window to reverse this Gosain, President of IATO, said, 'When global trade is facing unprecedented disruptions due to tariff wars and geopolitical shifts, tourism exports remain unaffected by such constraints. Unlike goods, India's tourism export (i.e. foreign tourists spending in India), which is non-tariff based, brings direct foreign exchange earnings into the country. This positions inbound tourism as a stable, sustainable, and immediate contributor to India's current account with valuable foreign exchange, employment generation and balances forex trade deficit. Yet, regretfully the country is lagging in its effort to attract foreign tourists.'He further added that inbound tourism has strong soft power implications. 'Considering every foreign visitor to India becomes an ambassador of Indian culture, heritage, values and the immense multiplier impact it has in terms of employment generator and net revenue it earns, we still have not valued it as much as we should have. This sector alone has the potential to contribute 1–2 percent to the GDP and therefore this engine needs to fire,' Gosain stated.'To enhance FTA numbers besides the steps suggested above. We need simplified Visa facilitation , expanding the scope of e-Visas, fast-tracking group tourist visas and exploring Visa fees waivers for select countries. Further we need to incentivise international airlines and air charters to improve air connectivity to key tourism circuits, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 destinations,' he concluded.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Tour operators ask PM Modi for ₹1000 crore allocation to increase foreign tourist arrivals
The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make an immediate budgetary allocation of ₹1,000 crore under the 'Incredible India' campaign and form an 'India Tourism Board' under the PM's leadership with the specific objective of increasing foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) in the country. The IATO is the national apex body of in-bound tour operators and works closely with the Government and other hospitality stakeholders on policy issues related to foreign tourist arrivals. In a letter to Mr. Modi, the IATO said, going by trends and following discussions with stakeholders, FTA in India has still not touched the 2019 level in the last financial year. Even though foreign tourist arrivals in India have seen a rebound post-pandemic, they are still below pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, foreign tourist arrivals reached 9.52 million, which was 87.09% of the pre-pandemic level of 10.93 million in 2019. The Ministry of Tourism reports that the 2023 numbers were 47.89% higher than in 2022 (6.44 million), but still significantly lower than the 2019 peak. Way below potential The letter dated May 28 said while the importance of in-bound tourism as a precious foreign exchange earner and soft diplomacy tool cannot be over emphasised, India as a destination that offers raw and natural beauty is performing way below its potential. 'These measures are required as the coming season is a few months away, and it can help boost inbound tourism in this financial year,' it said. Ravi Gosain, Ppresident of IATO, said, 'when global trade is facing unprecedented disruptions due to tariff wars and geopolitical shifts, tourism exports remain unaffected. Unlike goods, India's tourism export (i.e., foreign tourists spending in India), which is non-tariff based, brings direct foreign exchange earnings into the country. 'This positions inbound tourism as a stable, sustainable, and immediate contributor to India's current account with valuable foreign exchange, by generating employment, and by helping to balance the forex trade deficit. Yet , regretfully, the country is lagging in its effort to attract foreign tourists.' He added that to enhance FTA numbers besides the steps suggested above, the steps required are: simplified visa facilitation, expanding the scope of e-Visas, fast-tracking group tourist visas, and exploring visa fee waivers for select countries. Further, we need to incentivise international airlines and air charters to improve air connectivity to key tourism circuits, especially to tier-2 and tier-3 destinations.
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
IATO urges govt to set up ₹1,000 cr board to boost foreign tourist inflow
The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an immediate budgetary allocation of ₹1,000 crore under the Incredible India campaign, as well as the formation of an India Tourism Board under the PM's leadership to increase foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in the country. This request follows IATO's repeated concerns over India's slow recovery in FTA numbers compared to 2019 levels. As the apex body for inbound tour operators, IATO collaborates with the government and other hospitality stakeholders on policy matters related to FTAs. The association said these measures are crucial with the upcoming tourist season just months away and could help boost inbound tourism in the current financial year. According to the India Tourism Data Compendium 2024, 9.52 million FTAs were recorded in 2023 as part of an ongoing recovery. In comparison, 10.93 million FTAs were recorded in 2019, before the pandemic. 'When global trade is facing unprecedented disruptions due to tariff wars and geopolitical shifts, tourism exports remain unaffected by such constraints,' said IATO President Ravi Gosain in a statement. 'Unlike goods, India's tourism export—foreign tourists spending in India—is non-tariff based and brings direct foreign exchange earnings into the country. This makes inbound tourism a stable, sustainable, and immediate contributor to India's current account, foreign exchange reserves, employment generation, and overall trade balance. Yet, regretfully, the country is lagging in efforts to attract foreign tourists.' Gosain added that IATO has already taken steps such as simplifying visa processes, expanding the scope of e-visas, fast-tracking group tourist visas, and proposing visa fee waivers for select countries to enhance FTA numbers. He further emphasized the need to incentivize international airlines and air charters to improve connectivity to key tourism circuits, especially in Tier-II and Tier-III destinations. 'This sector alone has the potential to contribute 1 to 2 per cent to the GDP. Therefore, this engine needs to fire,' he said.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India to be among top 10 global tourism markets, says Shekhawat
1 2 Jaipur: Union tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Sunday said that the govt is targeting to make the country one of the top 10 destinations in the world. It ranked 39th in the World Economic Forum 's Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024 globally and 54th 2022. He mentioned that meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) would be one of the key strategies of the ministry in expanding the sector, which draws heavily on the cultural riches of the country. Speaking at the ministry's 'Meet in India', organised by FICCI for promoting the events industry, Shekhawat said states across the country are unlocking tourism opportunities in their own unique ways and stressed, "Now, it's time for India to position itself firmly on the global MICE map." "With iconic venues like Bharat Mandapam, Yashobhoomi, and Jio World Centre, and with MICE prioritised under the Incredible India campaign , we aim to elevate at least 10 Indian cities into the world's top MICE destinations," said the minister in the presence of over 300 delegates and participants representing the MICE and tourism industry. In fact, the state tourism minister Diya Kumari also highlighted Rajasthan Mandapam, currently under development, and the existing infrastructure and resources required to expand the MICE segment in the state. Citing examples, she mentioned Jaipur hosting the silver jubilee celebration of the International Indian Film Academy awards in March this year. Recognising the impact of MICE on the economy, during India's G20 presidency, meetings attended global leaders were held in many states to provide them exposure in hosting events and building their capabilities. Suman Bery, vice-chairperson, NITI Aayog, said, "We view MICE tourism not only as a promotional opportunity but as a development imperative," urging for more than just infrastructure development. While stressing the need to move towards a comprehensive tourism experience that integrates events, cultural infrastructure, and global best practices to fully unlock its potential, Bery said that centre-state coordination, deregulation, and the breaking down of silos across ministries are key to achieving this vision. 'Pahalgam attack a slight setback for tourism in valley' Jaipur: The Pahalgam terror attack that targeted tourists, killing 26 and injuring scores will have a temporary impact on the work the govt has been doing there, said Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. He said the govt was building six new tourist destinations and those projects will be impacted in the short-term. Calling the incident very unfortunate, he said tourism in the valley has been slightly hit but people have started visiting the also lauded the spirit of the tourists who did not cancel the trips after the attack and went to visit the places in the state.
