Indian Association of Tour Operators President appeals to Ministry of Tourism

The Secretary of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Pronab Sarkar, has appealed to the country’s Ministry of Tourism to see that the vacant posts in many of the tourist offices abroad are filled soon.

This is necessary for proper tourism promotion and campaigns, he said on June 14 at an association meeting to welcome the new Ministry of Tourism Secretary, Ms. Rashmi Verma, and bid farewell to Vinod Zutshi, who has retired. Verma had earlier been posted as Additional Director General of Tourism and is now back after a gap of some years.

Sarkar also called for a solution to the issues with the Archaeological Survey of India, which maintains many of the protected monuments of the country. India is rich in culture and many tourists come to see the monuments that are spread all over the land.

Sunil Gupta of Travel Bureau in Agra said that there should be clarity on the status of the iconic Taj Mahal, as there were often conflicting reports on the repair and renovation of the famed monument, which was creating confusion. He revealed that he was receiving 200 calls a day asking for details on the status of Taj. The government should make a statement on this soon, he said, and many others agreed.

Ms. Verma said that a national tourism policy will be in place soon along with Incredible India 2.0. She called for close cooperation between the ministry, states, and the private sector.