The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), which represents more than 1,700 tour operators for inbound tourists, has sent an SOS to the Ministry of Tourism seeking relief measures amid “zero business, zero billing, zero cash flow” since the nationwide lockdown that started in March.
In a memorandum to Meenakshi Sharma, director general, Ministry of Tourism, the association pointed that the industry was on the ‘brink of closure’. A lot of small tour operators had shut and the larger ones that were still running were working with skeletal staff. required for maintenance, creditors and supplier’s payments and payment of mandatory government dues.
“The closure has led to direct economic loss of ₹6 lakh crore and indirectly the economy has lost ₹15 lakh crore, which is about 9-10 % of the economy. In terms of employment, more than 4 crore jobs have been lost [in the…