Representatives from the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) met Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel on Wednesday, to apprise him of the acute distress faced by the industry.
The delegation urged the minister for financial support to tour operators so that they are not forced to close down their business, IATO said in a statement.
The tour operators are not in a position to pay salaries to their staff since there is no business and they are under acute financial stress, it added.
IATO has also asked for special collateral free and interest free long-term loans (5-10 years) to be provided to the tour operators for revival of business and aggressive marketing, the statement said.
The association also urged the minister to support tour operators on their request made to the Commerce Ministry regarding enhancing the Service Export India Scheme (SEIS) to 10 percent from present 7 percent for 2019-20, it added.
“We still have hope and believe that the government will come out with some measures which will help alleviate our sector’s pain,” IATO President Pronab Sarkar said.
