Establish India as a destination for ayurveda, yoga: TAAI

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has said that the Covid crisis has presented the country with a fine opportunity to establish itself as a ayurvedic, yoga and heritage destination. In a webinar conducted to discuss the current situation in the industry, the various stakeholders said that domestic tourism will help the recovery process.

The industry will take 3-6 months to recover and segments like MICE tourism will not be allowed to function before July/August. Outbound tourism will not start soon and maybe subject to stringent visa norms. This may take up to nine months.

TAAI is lobbying with the government and IATA for refunds and is hoping that the government will provide tax concessions to incentivise the MICE segment within India.

The government should safeguard salaries, provide relief benefits and give tax exemptions, speakers at the webinar said.