Feb 1, 2023- Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality of  industry (FAITH)  has expressed the tourism industry’s concern that  the budget statement could have covered more direct support measures for the industry . 

The budget has rightly proposed tourism as a transformative engine for job creation to be developed on a mission mode on a PPP basis, along with states and focus on 50 tourism destinations and infrastructure. 

However, since the budget, was coming on the back of a recovery from the pandemic this was an opportunity to strengthen the tourism travel and hospitality industry of India to reclaim its global inbound tourism share and to add value to domestic tourism which would have boosted employment pan India, the federation said. 

Nakul Anand, chairman FAITH, said that EC members of all FAITH member associations had been regularly interacting with various officials for pre- budget meetings. While we are thankful that the FM has touched upon developing tourism on a mission mode along with destination development,  yet the  Indian tourism, travel & hospitalty industry was keenly looking forward to getting the vital infrastructure status, to be treated at par with merchandise exports, to have gotten enhanced support to tourism for global marketing, to have had a directional positive guidance on gst issues for tourism and was looking forward to enhanced tax / financial support mechanisms to tourism msmes which are more than 95% of industry  entrepreneurs are travel agents, hotels, tour operators, restaurants, tourist transporters and guides among others.

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