CHENNAI: The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) has urged the
Centre to provide concurrent industry status and export status for the tourism sector. While submitting its
pre-Budget recommendations to the Union Budget FY 21-22 for the tourism, travel and hospitality industry on Friday, FAITH said the industry status is required for hotels and tourism across all states, as unlike commercial establishments, tourism and hospitality do not just retail but create and produce high-quality service. Power and water utility rates and levies must be at industrial rates effectively.
All existing licenses, permits, permissions will be examined for redundancies and standardized at a national level, it added. “There must be a level-playing field in terms of compliances and entry requirements among all sub-segments of conventional and alternative tourism organise the travel industry and protect it from fly-by-night operations,” it said.
FAITH also recommended that an export status is critical to double India’s share of inbound tourism to 2.5 per cent in five years. It is key to treat at par foreign exchange (forex) earning members of tourism, travel and hospitality under export and deemed the export status to promote forex earnings. “It is important to make available the deduction in respect of earnings in convertible foreign exchange to all the tourism units earning,” it said.