A day after the government announced that all foreign nationals will be allowed an entry into India except those on tourist visa, the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) said that this will result in loss of business and jobs in the coming season.

“This will send a wrong message amongst our foreign counterparts that India is not ready to welcome foreign tourists “ says Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO.

It is a step motherly treatment as other visa including business Visa has been opened, he added.

“It would have been a right step by the government to announce relaxation in all kind of visas including tourist visa so that tour operators could start their promotions and marketing in source markets to get ready for the upcoming summer and for the coming tourist seasons starting from September/October 2021,” said Sarkar.

‘No plans’

Currently, the Ministry of Tourism is talking about promotion of Domestic Tourism without any hand-holding to the reeling tourism industry. No promotional plans have been heard from the Ministry to revive Inbound tourism, he added.

“Some countries such as UAE and Maldives have already started welcoming the Indian tourists, but there is no reciprocal tourism development plan from our government. Many countries have opened borders for international tourists, why can’t our government plan in advance to re-start inbound tourism., when all inbound tour operators are sitting idle, without business and their trained and professional employees are jobless since April 2020,” said Sarkar.