Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), the policy federation of the National Associations – ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI and Cause Partner – AIRDA, has started reaching out to Parliamentarians. Despite over 100 days of unprecedented collective requests for survival & revival relief there is no sector specific stimulus for tourism. On the contrary in many sub sectors of tourism, situation is becoming increasingly unfavourable.
FAITH is requesting the Parliamentarians, to ask the question ‘Why Not Tourism’ rather than the tourism industry constantly justifying ‘Why Tourism’ despite tourism’s pan India impact on job creation, GDP & forex growth. FAITH is requesting them for their support for the Indian Tourism, Travel & Hospitality Industry. The Indian tourism industry is estimated to impact almost 10 per cent of Indian GDP and almost five crores jobs directly and indirectly.
India is probably one of the unique countries in the world where each constituency is blessed with either natural assets (mountains, seas, forests, rivers, deserts) or with cultural & historic assets going back upto over 5000 years.
These tourism advantages of India are packaged and served by India’s frontline tourism assets – India’s travel agents, hotels, tour operators, tourist transporters, restaurants, guides and many tourism helpers. Together they have made, India’s domestic tourism the third largest in the world with around 1.7 billion + domestic tourism visits and have taken India’s share of international travel market to over one per cent, earning around $ 29 billion + in forex.
Yet, unfortunately tourism, travel & hospitality industry has to constantly justify ‘Why Tourism’ to get economic & policy support. FAITH has requested the parliamentarians to raise the question on behalf of their constituency ‘Why Not Tourism’
The pandemic COVID 19 has threatened the very core existence of humanity and tourism will be the very last industry to recover when people will travel for tourism purposes only when they ‘feel safe to travel’.
Till then all those tourism jobs supporting crores of families across all constituencies of India whether in rural or in urban India are being lost which can lead to a huge economic disaster.
On behalf of all those crores of families whose economic livelihood is being threatened, FAITH has requested the Parliamentarians to ask the question ‘Why Not Tourism’ and seek from the Central & State Governments a ‘Tourism Sector Specific Relief Package’.
