The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has called for a unified tax structure, better public-private partnership and the relaxation of visa restrictions for the growth of the sector. "We need to introduce common tax for services across the industry instead of multiple taxes such as luxury, food and beverages. The industry also suffers from differential tax structure," said Ashwini Kakkar, President, TAAI.

He was addressing a media conference on the opening day of the 55th Indian Travel Congress (September 1-4) in Hyderabad. More than 1,500 delegates are attending the convention.

Kakkar also said that the state governments and private sector should work together for the development of the tourism industry. "Land can be given at a nominal price to the private parties for developing convention centres or hotels and the government can in turn generate revenues from taxes," he said.

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