OTOAI hits the right chord
On its first anniversary, the association celebrated successful accomplishment of its set goals and objectives in the first year. reports…
Our bottomlines in outbound tours are already shrinking with our profits not reaching more than five per cent
On the sidelines of OTOAI’s (Outbound Tour Operators Association of India) first anniversary, the association received tremendous support from Indian and overseas travel and tourism stakeholders in Mumbai. During the anniversary celebration, the association remembered the successful moments of the year 2012 and also revealed the focus and mission for 2013. According to Guldeep Singh Sahni, President, OTOAI; there are three points for this year: 1 Expansion of association in
various regions of India 2. Working closely with NTOs and international tourism councils 3. Waiving off the service tax imposed on outbound tours.
In fact, the association is soon going to file an objection with Tax Research Unit (TRU) who is responsible for formulating tax structure for every industry in India under Central Board of Excise and Customs Department.
“Service tax is something which is troubling every stakeholder related to outbound tourism. The govern- ment should tax the services provided by us, but not the services provided by the service providers in the other countries. Our bottomlines in outbound tours are already shrinking with our profits not reaching more than five per cent. We have asked our members to start submitting their views and suggestions to get a clear picture before approaching the TRU for wiping down the service tax on outbound tours. We will work closely with TRU to bring out a solution which should be listed in the forthcoming Union Budget of 2013-14,” informed Sahni.
Moving forward, the association is in the process of opening its South India chapter along with penetrating cities like Kolkata, Surat, Chandigarh, Amritsar, etc. It is also promoting short-haul international destinations by encouraging members to include them in their packages and itineraries. To increase the Indian tourist figures, it is also urging NTOs to bring in uniform visa documentation across India instead of having different regulations for different regions.