Impact Of The Budget 2018 On The Indian Tourism Industry

While infrastructure, especially aviation and rail, got a big boost in Budget 2018-19, the other positives were Heritage City Development and development of tourism hubs.

- Suman Tarafdar

After months of pleas and reports leading up to the Budget for greater clarity on a number of issues, the first since GST was implemented, all that the travel and tourism sector came away with was the promise of the development of ‘10 Iconic Tourism Destinations’—no news of which ones exactly—and the mention of ropeways and seaplanes. The aviation sector did much better though, with better air linkages and more infrastructure development announced. Other transport infrastructure too did see policy announcements, though possibly not the game changing ones the sector was expecting.

While the Union Budget 2018 did not directly address several of the demands made by the travel and tourism industry, it addressed a relatable need that acts as a medium for growth of the infrastructure sector, said Vishal Suri, managing director, SOTC Travel. “Right from boosting the Smart Cities programme to laying down a blueprint for better connectivity through the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme, to modernising the railway infrastructure, and introducing more airports to connect various parts of the country… these are initiatives that will contribute towards sustainable growth within the sector.” “The positives in the budget are rail infrastructure, Bharatmala project, impetus to farmers, Heritage City Development, and healthcare,” pointed out Ajay K Bakaya, managing director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts. “The move towards solar energy and Operation Green are welcome.”