Hospitality and travel sector players on Tuesday demanded infrastructure status for the hotel industry besides measures such as tax exemption on LTA annually to boost domestic tourism ahead of the Union Budget. They also recommended removal of the current TDS levied on automated bookings for internal or closed user groups such as business travel platforms and reducing the total number of licenses required to establish a hotel. "A full-blown infrastructure status for the hotel sector and further rationalisation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and a Central single window clearance for hotel projects are some of the major expectations from the Budget 2024," Roseate Hotels & Resorts CEO Kush Kapoor said in a statement.
The collapse of Thomas Cook in the UK has no impact whatsoever in terms of ownership, business, people, technology or processes to us at Thomas Cook India: Madhavan Menon, chairman & managing director, TCIL.
Company's strategy is to 'milk the brand' as much as it can, as well as to look at an early transition.
While the company would have nine counters, Central Bank of India will have two.
Over the last few days, as the fortunes of Thomas Cook Plc took a wrong turn, the Indian entity scrambled to distance itself from its erstwhile parent. Experts have said that the travel firm must not change its brand name.
A move to extend visas on arrival facility to 150 countries and make world heritage sites more tourist friendly has been welcomed.
This will trigger an open offer under SEBI norms and TCIL will seek to buy up to 26 per cent in Sterling for Rs 230 crore.
India will extend the visa-on-arrival facility to all countries except eight with effect from September. The countries not covered under this single-entry e-visa facility, meant for purposes other than paid employment and education with a one-month time limit, are Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Somalia. The facility is currently available to 11 countries, including New Zealand, Singapore, Luxembourg, Japan and Finland.
Thomas Cook, which is looking to shift its offices to one of the places such as Lower Parel, Dadar, Bandra Kurla Complex or Andheri, is likely to take a decision in the next three to four months.
In its latest transition, the company will also double up as an investment vehicle.