The Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) has asked foreign countries through their tourism board offices in India, Embassies and Consulates to lay down travel guidelines for Indians wishing to go abroad.

In a recent communication, the association has drafted a 10-point letter and circulated the same to heads of all the NTO in India, asking them to clearly state the rules, SOPs and guidelines that an international traveller has to be aware of.

Ever since the air-bubble travel arrangement started in India in July 2020, there has been a plethora of changes in the guidelines and SOPs to be followed by every individual country. Also, since the number of Covid-19 cases keeps changing, many countries often end up altering their travel guidelines frequently, which in turn are not made very clear to an outbound traveller. OTOAI has asked the NTOs to clearly state the protocols in order to have the much-needed clarity.

“Over the months, we were seeing much ambiguity on the SOPs and guidelines for international travel – different protocols for different countries. This was not just leaving the travellers confused but also adding to the struggle of an outbound tour operator, who is trying to get some business done in this pandemic. Thus, we decided to step up and gain clarity on the international travel protocols to be followed so as to ease the international travel for consumers as well as tour operators. Once we have all the information in place, we would be circulating the same to all our members so that they can do their business with precision,” says Riaz Munshi, president, OTOAI.

“Opening up of commercial international operations will boost the confidence of not just the travellers but also the various other verticals of the travel industry, which have been suffering immensely because of the pandemic. It will be an integral step towards boosting the economy,” adds Munshi.