With the Union Budget approaching on February 28, industries have put forth their wishlists. Here is what the tourism and hospitality industry wants:
- Remove Service Tax on foreign exchange transactions of tourism services.
- 'Infrastructure’ status for hotel projects with minimum 50-100 rooms (from current cost-based criteria of Rs. 200 crore) and reduce availability constraints by expanding mid-segment hotels of 2-3 star categories.
- Launch projects to create 50 tourist circuits around themes of Heritage, Culture, Himalayas, Desert, North East Region, Coastal, Sports and Films. Create a Hindu Circuit akin to Buddhist Circuit; explore synergy with North East, SAARC and South East Asian countries which have a strong ‘India’ connect.