over indiabased travel agents and tour operators magow addedsabina chopra cofounder and coo corporate travel and head industry relations at yatra online limited said the travel and tourism sector which is projected to hit 99 of the countrys gdp before the end of this decade has suffered a lot during the pandemic so they were expecting more relief from the government for accelerated revival the 4 hike in atf price will increase the burden on airlines impacting the end consumer chopra said however on the brighter side the announcement of highest ever railway outlay at rs 24 lakh crore will help boost affordable regional connectivity and logistics of cargo freights she said the development of 50 new airports helipads and advanced landing grounds to improve regional air connectivity will provide a tremendous boost to niche segments like religious spiritual wellness tourism by easing passengers commute further 50 tourist destinations being developed as a whole package for domestic and international tourism should attract more foreign tourists in the country overall very encouraging to see intense focus on our sector said chopraaloke bajpai group ceo and cofounder ixigo said the travel industry has bounced back phenomenally well in 2022 and while we have seen a strong recovery in domestic travel our next goal should be focussing on encouraging a faster revival of foreign tourist inflow and international travel ftas has seen encouraging growth monthonmonth in the last few months however it is yet to realize its full potential we are happy the government has recognized this and welcome the targeted incentives announced in this budget of developing 50 tourist destinations in india as a package for attracting domestic and international travelers setting up unity malls in state capitals and popular tourist destinations will mark tourist spots monuments and spaces for visitors which will further boost the sector bajpai added that in the long run leisure vacations abroad can get costly for indian travelers with tcs for overseas tour packages increasing from 5 to 20 higher costs to indian travelers because of an increase in tax can impact the international travel demand which was slowly gaining momentum he saidritesh agarwal founder and group ceo oyo welcomed the move to develop 50 cities across india as a complete package for domestic and international tourism we also laud the move to incentivise states to set up unity malls in their most popular tourism destination for promotion of gi made in india products and handicrafts integrated development of themebased tourism circuit under the swadesh darshan scheme with special focus on improving infrastructure and amenities in border villages will provide a muchneeded boost to rural and agriculture tourism he added that another commendable move is the sector specific upskilling and development to achieve the objectives of dekho apna desh an initiative launched by pm modi last year this will encourage the youth to take up a career in tourism and hospitality and further strengthen the growth of the sector he saidspeaking about the aviation industry