GUWAHATI, April 6 - To ease grave the covid-19 situation, the tour operators of Assam have appealed to the State government to provide collateral-free �tourism loans� with low interest rates and long-term and flexible repayment to interested tour operators and instruct all banks and private financial institutions, from where business loans or private finances may have already been availed by tour operators, to defer the EMIs by at least nine months.
In a statement issued jointly by the Tour Operators Association of Assam, the Assam chapter of the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India, the Assam chapter of the Indian Association of Tour Operators and the North East India Tour Operators Association, they urged the government to also reduce the GST charged by hotels, tour operators and tourism service providers by 50 per cent of the current level for at least one financial year and to waive off penalties for tour operators and travel agents who may miss the GST, IT and other statutory payment deadlines for the current financial year.
They also appealed to the government to waive off fees for any upcoming trade licenses, shops and establishment licenses, permits, statutory renewals, etc., for hospitality, transport and travel industry in Assam for the next financial year.
