COVID-19 Impact: 21.5 Million People In Tourism Industry Lost Jobs, Says Govt

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COVID-19 Impact: 21.5 Million People In Tourism Industry Lost Jobs, Says Govt

Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said that tourist arrivals in India were down by 93% during the first wave of the COVID outbreak, 79% in the second wave and 64% during the third wave.

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Around 21.5 million people in the tourism industry have lost their jobs due to the three waves of COVID-19 that first hit the country in early 2020.

During a Question Hour in Lok Sabha on Monday, March 14, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said that tourist arrivals in India were down by 93 per cent during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, 79 per cent in the second wave and 64 per cent during the third wave.

"We have conducted a study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism. There were 14.5 million people who lost their jobs during the first wave, 5.2 million lost their jobs in the second wave and 1.8 million lost jobs in the third wave," Reddy said.

The minister added that 38 million people were involved with the tourism industry in the country before the COVID-19 pandemic, NDTV reported.

Reddy said the tourism economy was significantly down during the three waves of the pandemic, which hit the sector badly in India and worldwide.

He, however, said the government was hopeful that there would be improvements in the tourism sector with the administering of 180 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Interest-Free Loan Of Rs 10 Lakh

To help this sector, Reddy said, an interest-free loan of Rs 10 lakh is provided to travel and tourism stakeholders and nearly Rs 1 lakh to tourist guides.

"I urge all the state governments to assist the tourism sector in whatever way they can," he said.

The minister said due to the pro-tourist initiatives of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government, India's rank in global tourist destinations has risen by nearly 20 positions, from 52 in 2013 to 32 in 2019.

Waiving Of Visa Fee

To encourage more international visitors, the government has already decided to waive the visa fee of the first five lakh arrivals, he said.

The minister stated that India provided as many as 51,960 regular visas and 1.57 e-visas after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, till March 7, 2022.

Replying to a question by National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah over high travel costs, Reddy said the government has deliberated upon the issue and given subsidy to the airfares under the 'Udan' scheme to the airlines flying to tourist destinations.

Speaker Om Birla said about 300 MPs had visited Jammu and Kashmir in the recent past and it should be highlighted. Abdullah also urged Reddy to restart the Srinagar-Sharjah flight as soon as possible.

Also Read: Chhattisgarh Govt Takes Healthcare To Doorsteps, Provides Relief To Urban Population Living In Slums

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