Government Offering A Helping Hand – A Bright Future Awaits For The Travel And Tourism Business

They say, “Opportunities come to those who wait”!

Although there is more to the saying, this part of the phrase has proven to be true for the travel and tourism industry. The hustle has been hard since 2020, after the pandemic hits. The travel and tourism industry faced a massive blow with countries shutting down their gates for tourists. 

The time has been challenging, and many were left with no business. With the end of 2020, there was a slight ray of hope when the tourism industry slowly started spreading its wings. But the storm was not over yet and the black clouds were still hovering. The industry again faced a setback with the increase in Covid-positive cases and the death toll in 2021 and many countries for the second time shut their doors for Indian tourists, leaving the future of travel industry after covid-19 at mayhem.  

And not just different countries, travelling was banned from one state to another just to contain the spread. This brought the collapse of the travel and tourism industry, with many losing their jobs and income altogether. 

But, the Government has heard their prayers and now brings a sigh of relief for the domain. 

Here is what the Government has to offer 

• As per the information received from the leading news houses, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a financial relief to 11,000 tourist guides and stakeholders of the tourism business to recover from the distress the pandemic left behind. 
• Government sanctions a loan scheme and concession benefits that guarantee financial aid for the Covid affected sectors. 
• As a part of the strategies for tourism development, personal loans and working capital will be offered to people in tourism to aid financial liabilities and certain obligations and to revamp businesses that were affected due to the pandemic. 
• Visa issuance grants will also be provided once the foreign tourists resume. The visas of the first five lakh tourists will be issued without any cost. 
• Loans offered will bear no processing fees and will come with a waiver of prepayment charges. Besides, no collateral will be required while applying for loans. 

Things to keep in mind 

• The scheme is applicable only till the 31st of March, 2022 or shall be closed after the issuance of the first five lakh visas, whichever earlier.  
• Government lends a 100% guarantee on the loan to tourism stakeholders and tourist guides of up to Rs. 10,00,000 respectively. 
• The benefits of the no-charge visa can be enjoyed by one tourist for one time only. 
• The total financial concession extended will be Rs. 100 Crore.  
• The loan scheme will cover approximately 10,700 tourism guides as recognized by the State Governments and regional level tourist guides as recognized by the Ministry of Tourism. 

The hospitality industry has also been struggling due to the adversities of the pandemic. However, the grants by the Government for the tourism sector will also bring relief for the hospitality domain.  

How to restart tourism after Covid and make the best of this opportunity? 

With this concession, the tourism industry can secure a bright future. The financial aid availed can be put into best use to revamp the business and invest in promotions. Keeping in mind the rapid growth of the digital ecosystem, the tourism industry can skyrocket its business by making optimum use of tourism marketing strategies. 

The concessions granted can be used to – 

• Make up for the losses faced 
• Revamp infrastructure 
• Secure additional travel permissions
• Make provisions for coveted facilities and amenities   
• Promote the brand

When it comes to brand promotions, digital marketing is the best option to go for. Given the increase in the number of hours spent online, attracting customers with digital marketing strategies can pave the way to success. 

If you evaluate, most customers are online, and amidst such a scenario, people consider businesses only if they are found to be on the digital platform, otherwise, you fail to exist.  

Hence, it is important for you to mark your online presence and boost your brand digitally. For this, you can get in touch with the best digital marketing agency in town like BUSFAM. 

How can digital marketing agencies help?  

With the leading digital marketing agencies, you can enjoy niche-based ROI-driven marketing strategies. The best agencies will have experience in working with the tourism industry and have served several clients from this niche. Get in touch with the best online branding agency to boost your tourism business through – 

• Search Engine Optimization 
• Social Media Optimization 
• Social Media Marketing 
• Content Marketing 
• Video Marketing and much more 

You can also avail Online Reputation Management services to boost your brand image and raise awareness as required. Make sure your tourism marketing strategies are framed after intense market research to help you reach a wide horizon of audiences. 

To know more and to boost your travel and tourism business through digital marketing consult with BUSFAM right away.