Ministry of Tourism on Tuesday extended the validity period of Approval/Classifications of Hotels & other accommodation units till 30th June.
The Ministry of Tourism classifies hotels under the star rating system to be in line with expected standards of the tourist class.
Hotels are rated under this scheme, from One Star to Three Star, Four and Five Star with or without alcohol, Five Star Deluxe, Heritage (Basic), Heritage (Classic), Heritage (Grand), Legacy Vintage (Basic), Legacy Vintage (Classic), Legacy Vintage (Grand) and Apartment Hotels, Home stays, Guest house etc.
The classification/certification is valid for five years “Considering the current situation when the hospitality industry is going through a very difficult time in the wake of Covid 19 Pandemic and lockdown that has severely impacted the accommodation sector, it has been decided that validity of approval or certifications of hotels and other accommodation units whose project approvals/ reapprovals and classification/ reclassification have expired/ are likely to expire during the period (24.03.2020 to 29.6.2020) are deemed to be extended till 30.06.2020,” said the ministry in a statement.
On similar lines, the Ministry has a scheme of approving Travel Agents, Tour Operators, Adventure Tour Operators, Domestic Tour Operators and Tourist Transport Operators etc. the idea being to encourage quality, standard and service in these categories so as to promote Tourism in India.
Owing to the delay in inspection work and application scrutiny during the lockdown period from March 2020 onward in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Tourism Ministry has decided to allow six months’ relaxation or extension to all categories of Tour Operators (Inbound, Domestic, Adventure) Travel Agents and Tourist Transport Operators for their approval with the Ministry of Tourism subject to the following conditions as reported by PIB: –
(i) The previous approval expired or the current approval expires during the period of 20th March, 2020 (i.e. the date of issuance of order by the Ministry for discontinuation of inspection work by India Tourism offices) till continuation of lockdown, and
(ii) They applied for renewal before expiry of their current/previous approval.
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