JOIN USAs Covid-19 cases decline, Goa tourism industry demands SOPs for revival
Goa's tourism industry stakeholders have urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to grant a 100 per cent excise waiver in state excise, while also demanding additional SOPs like a waiver for tourism licence fees for two financial years, a reduction in GST tariff for tourism-linked industries and seeking relief in power tariff.
In a letter to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa Nilesh Shah on Tuesday has also sought a 100 per cent refund for all visas for the next two years in order to make Goa an attractive tourism destination once the state opens up for tourism.
"The second wave of the pandemic has hit Goa in a bad way, which has resulted in a shutdown of tourism operations in Goa for the past more than three months. This is in addition to the previous period of shut down in the last year which has not allowed the industry to operate for over one year," Shah said in his letter to Sawant.
Also read: Goa Covid-19 curfew extended till June 21
"The industry requires a 100 per cent waiver of excise fees – considering last year 2020-21 everyone paid full excise fees and a majority did not operate for almost seven months. Now with the additional three months of 2021-22 of business being shut and perhaps continuing being shut for the next couple of months, it will be almost one year of no business," the Association's president said in his letter on Tuesday.
The letter also roots for a similar waiver in tourism licence fees up to 2023-24 and SOPs vis a vis power consumption which includes reduced tariff from April 2021-March 2022 and facilitation of deferred payments – the electricity charges payable should be allowed to be deferred till April 2022 without any late charges -- in order to provide businesses with working capital to operate till March 2022.
The letter has also urged Sawant to recommend to the central government to reduce Goods and Services Tax for the tourism sector.
"Extension of moratorium on term loan EMIs up to March 31, 2022. This measure should be taken with the RBI to provide some relief against the covid-induced financial crisis," the Association said.
The Association has also urged Sawant to reduce fuel prices in the state, which Shah said have "led to rise of basic commodity prices at a time when there is no income for most people."
"100 per cent refund should be given on all visas between October 1, 2021, to October 1, 2023, through the tourism promotion and marketing budget. This will encourage the charter tourism business for the coming year & encourage travellers to travel to India. All other countries in direct competition with Goa, are taking such measures of waiving off visa dees," Shah has said.
Tourism activity has virtually ground to a halt in Goa, with the onset of the second Covid wave which has resulted in an unprecedented number of infections as well as a steep spike in deaths linked to the deadly virus. The state's Covid statistics have, however, reported a decline over the last fortnight. The state currently has 4,406 active cases.