Mr. Madhavan Menon, Chairman & Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. shares prebudget quote, citing the importance of the travel & tourism industry and the contribution it drives through various verticals.

The Quote Reads "The travel and tourism industry has been one of the most severely impacted in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and we are staring at a long road to recovery. While the Government has rolled out economic relief packages for several industries, the Tourism sector has been noticeably absent and the Union Budget offers valuable opportunity to address the crisis in the sector.

Given its critical contribution to India’s economy and its powerful multiplier impact on employment generation - an imperative at a time like this - the tourism industry deserves top priority in the Union Budget 2021.

With the extended ban on international commercial flights, domestic tourism offers strong potential and this requires priority support or swathes of tourism-dependent communities will languish and with its rapid dwindling of our precious local art forms, heritage and culture. Innovative and viable initiatives like UDAN that catalyze regional connectivity and offer access to India’s hidden gems needs to see sustained delivery. Budgetary outlay that retains long term impact via infrastructure development is equally essential– roads, railways, airports, waterways; as also health, safety and sanitation – a top priority in travel decisions in this COVID era.