Centre's sops fail to cheer AP travel agents
Andhra Pradesh has not witnessed any footfall of adventure and leisure tourists due to suspension of flights
image for illustrative purpose
Only two operators are recognised by the Ministry of Tourism in the State. Whatever benefits are announced and to be given in future should also be extended to travel operators recognised by the Government of Andhra Pradesh -a travel agent
Visakhapatnam: THE sops announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have failed to pep up the sagging morale of travel agents and operators in Andhra Pradesh.
Many feel that the announced by her will not help them to recover from the heavy losses inflicted on them due to prolonged spell of Covid-19 pandemic. Putting India in the high risk category following the outbreak of a second spell with a new strain and the withdrawal of flights to and from almost all the countries have completely shaken the morale of the stakeholders in the domestic travel industry.
Andhra Pradesh, which gets a large number of tourists to Visakhapatnam, Konaseema, Krishna delta, Srisailam and other places mainly through Shamshabad Airport or Visakhapatnam International Airport has not witnessed any footfall of adventure and leisure tourists due to suspension of flights.
FinMin's promise to give free visas to the first five lakh foreign tourists once the flight services resume, a loan of up to Rs10 lakh to travel operators without processing fee or additional collateral security has not brought cheers among the travel guides and agents. Incidentally only two operators are recognised by the Ministry of Tourism in the State. Whatever benefits are announced and to be given in future should also be extended to travel operators recognised by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, said a noted travel agent.
"We will be more happy, if one sort of grant or loan without collateral security is offered to us at a time when most of us are finding it difficult to meet our office expenses. Many have also either suffered from the virus themselves or lost a near and dear due to the pandemic," Tours & Travels Association of Andhra (APTA) president K Vijay Mohan told Bizz Buzz. The industry is suffering a loss of Rs25 crore a month and a cash loss of about Rs425 crore till May 2021. Not only foreign travel, there is also negligible activity in the domestic travel industry due to frequent imposition of curbs on travel as a fallout of lockdowns. Some travel agents who were contacted said they would be greatly benefited if GST paid by them during pre-Covid is reimbursed or given in the form of a one-time grant to help them overcome the shock treatment meted out by the pandemic and help revive their operations slowly.
According to the Union Tourism Ministry, India used to get an estimated 1.1 crore foreign tourists with an expenditure of $30 billion. On an average, a foreigner used to spend $34 a day with an average stay of three weeks. "In the larger interest of reviving tourism, we appeal to the Central and State Governments to give us genuine financial help to bounce back," VTZ Travel Links CEO P. Srinivasa Kumar said.
