Dual Air Fare Structure For Foreign Tourists Attacked

The Centre has been urged to drop the dual fare structure in the aviation sector for foreign tourists in order to remove their apprehensions that they are being discriminated against.

Eminent personalities in the tourism sector, who gathered here on Friday for a one-day conference on tourism and travel, said, The dual fare structure of collecting air fares from foreign tourists in rupee and dollars is being looked upon with suspicion as the dollar rates are higher than the equivalent rupee structure.

Such a dual fare structure does not exist in the railways, they said in their recommendations to the government on promotion of tourism.

The conference found serious shortcomings in the aviation sector as far as handling of foreign tourists is concerned. It was suggested that immigration and customs clearance procedures be made easier and faster.

Stressing on the need to increase flight services in the country, the conference, co-sponsored by the tourism department, said that introduction of charter flights in domestic and international routes should be considered. Union tourism minister Srikanta Jena was among those who took part in the conference.

The conference recommended that priority be accorded to increasing the number of highways in relation to the growth in traffic and also called for growth in the carrying-capacity of the roads. Investments in the road sector had declined, the participants said.

The measures suggested to boost private sector participation in construction of roads included incentives like capital grant from the Centre of up to 40 per cent of the project cost for highway projects and provision of land and tax benefits, including import duty exemption for import of equipment for road construction.

The participants said that the target should be to promote domestic tourism in a way that it attracts more foreign tourists.

A composite package for all sections of the society should be formulated and an awareness creation team, as in other Asian countries, should be set up.

Cooperation was also necessary within the Asian region for single-window visa system.