The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has written to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) requesting the government to make efforts to enhance inbound tourism.
According to statistics given by government tourism minister G. Kishan Reddy, IATO president Rajiv Mehra raised alarm about the substantial reduction in international visitors in 2022, which saw visits drop to 85.9 lakh, a striking contrast to the 3.14 crore visits recorded in 2019.
The fall was attributed to numerous issues, according to the organization, including the loss of incentives for inbound operators, a lack of skilled tourism workers in Indian embassies, and insufficient international marketing and promotion. The absence of fiscal assistance for international activities such as travel marts and roadshows, according to the organization, is a big barrier to recruiting foreign travelers.
According to official figures from the Tourism Ministry, around 10 crore people visited India in 2019.
“Foreign visitors’ numbers falling during the pandemic was understandable, but now that things are back to normal, our numbers are nowhere near the 2019 level. These in no way do justice to our country which has so much to offer,” Mehra said.
IATO, which represents over 1,700 incoming tour operators, advocated many measures to revitalize the industry. Offering a 5% incentive to inbound tour operators on their foreign currency revenues for overseas marketing, as well as deploying trained tourism personnel to Indian embassies and consulates for improved outreach, are two examples.
Mehra also proposed devoting specific budgeted funding and preparing for strong foreign marketing via multiple channels, including electronic and print media, as well as travel, and stressed the critical necessity of establishing a National Tourism Board.
Several significant source markets reported strong outbound travel demand this time, with several surpassing 2019 levels. Germany and the United States spent 13% and 11% more on outbound travel in the first nine months of 2019 respectively, while Italy spent 16% more through August.
The performance of industrial indicators reflects the continuous recovery. The UNWTO Tourism Rebound Tracker, which uses data from IATA and STR, shows a substantial rebound in air passenger numbers and tourist accommodation occupancy levels.
Against this context, despite economic obstacles such as rising inflation and decreased global production, as well as significant geopolitical tensions and wars, international tourism is on course to completely restore pre-pandemic levels by 2024.
