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ADTOI wants joint Budget proposals with other associations

Sanjeev Bhar - New Delhi

While the norm is for different trade associations to issue individual sets of memorandum annually and propose to the tourism ministry for consideration in the annual budget, this year the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) is trying to streamline this process.

Rakesh Lamba, its president, says, "We want to take a collective approach this time and are already in talks with other associations to propose joint key issues that need immediate attention by the government. We have received good response from other associations and expect to convene a joint meeting soon to discuss issues to be proposed for the forthcoming annual Budget."

According to him, individual proposals send out a wrong message. "We felt the need for travel trade to draft a single proposal that focuses on holistic development. We have a new tourism minister and it would be better if our issues are presented in a streamlined manner. There is a lot of enthusiasm about this idea among fellow trade associations," he says.