WTTCII appoints DLF CEO Talwar as chairman, SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh as VC

The launch of several branding and marketing initiatives by government such as Incredible India 2.0 and e-Tourist Visa on Arrival for 163 countries have provided a focussed impetus to growth

World Travel & Tourism Council, India Initiative (WTTCII) Tuesday said it has appointed DLF CEO Rajeev Talwar as its chairman and SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh as vice-chairman.

"Rajeev Talwar, CEO, DLF has been appointed as Chairman of WTTCII for the year 2019," the council said in a statement.

The announcement was made in WTTCII's AGM held Tuesday here.

Talwar is also the chairman of NAREDCO and president of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

After his appointment, Talwar made three major demands to boost tourism sector in India.

"WTTCII has 3 main demands from the government. Firstly, Airline Turbine Fuel must be included under GST. Secondly, 28 per cent GST on hotel rooms is hurting - GST should be pegged at 5 per cent for rooms of transaction values of up to Rs 5,000 and 12 per cent for transaction values of Rs 5,001-15,000 along with ITC," Talwar said.

Thirdly, he said, there should be a tourism board to handle the marketing of 'Incredible India'. A tourism board with inclusion of public and private stakeholders will make brand India successful.

Ajay Singh said: "Our travel and tourism industry has enormous potential but it faces numerous challenges, of which the most critical is lack of appropriate infrastructure."

He said the launch of several branding and marketing initiatives by the government such as Incredible India 2.0 and e-Tourist Visa on Arrival for 163 countries have provided a focussed impetus to growth.

"We look forward to closely working with the government to realise India's tourism potential," Singh said.