An apex tourism body has urged the Pramod Sawant government to permit chartered flights within the state from “safe destinations” to boost tourism.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), in a memorandum to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday, stated various trade bodies have suggested forming travel bubbles with Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, other CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) nations, the UK, Poland and Finland for these commercial flights.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation last week prolonged the suspension of international commercial passenger flight services until March 31.
“We have proposed that chartered flights be allowed to land in Goa from safe destinations and bubbles be formed,” TTAG president Nilesh Shah said in the memorandum.
The state government should also provide landing and airport fees waiver to foreign airlines and operators of chartered flights for one yr from March 1, 2021, he stated.
This can assist to revive the state’s tourism business, the TTAG stated in its memorandum.
It also claimed that there are 5,000 to 7,000 unregistered service apartments, guest houses, and homestays in Goa that do not pay any taxes, whereas a number of hotels, shacks, and cruises are operating without a license.
“They need to be brought under the tax net to extend the state’s revenue so that law-abiding and legit businesses are not overburdened and there is a level-playing field,” the memorandum stated.
