- Measures like opening e-tourist visas and resuming normal international flight operations were at the top of the list.
- Also requested was that the Service Exports from India scheme should continue for the next 5 years and be included in the RoDTEP scheme in foreign trade policy.
- The scheme is aimed at refunding exporters, the duties, taxes, and levies paid by them at the Central, state, and local levels.
Representing the tourism industry, Rajiv Mehra, President of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) , suggested measures like opening e-tourist visas, resuming normal international flight operations, etc. He also informed the Minister about the precarious financial condition that the tour operators had undergone during the pandemic and how the release of long-overdue SEIS (Service Exports from India Scheme) for the financial year 2019-20 is vital for their survival.
Mr. Mehra additionally requested that the Service Exports from India scheme should continue for the next 5 years and should be included in the RoDTEP scheme in foreign trade policy being framed for 2021-26. The scheme is aimed at refunding exporters, the duties, taxes, and levies paid by them at the Central, state, and local levels, and it roughly covers two-thirds, 65% of the exports of the country.
The IATO President also stated to the Minister that the tourism industry is a major foreign exchange earner and as such should be accorded the status of deemed exporter at par with service export earners. Such a move could enhance their competitiveness vis-a-vis other neighboring countries and thus can boost foreign tourist arrivals, he argued.
Further, it was requested of the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry that implementation of the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) act take place in which tourists leaving India ire entitled to a refund of IGST paid in India on goods being taken out of India under a Tax Refund for Tourists (TRT) scheme.
Stated Mr. Mehra, “As per [the] larger level, India has huge tourism potential, but to reach that we need government support in terms of financial incentives as well as improved physical infrastructure. With the governments focusing on improving India’s attractiveness, I am sure we shall see [a] boom as we have never seen before.”
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