Maharashtra Best Tourism State: Aditya Thackeray

“We have to take the state of Maharashtra ahead, pitch it to the world. I am really keen that Maharashtra will be the first to declare and deliver something for the hotel industry. We have to revive very quickly, take the sector ahead and figure out how we can work with the other sectors. A task force has been set up, we can work in sync, understand what is doable in the medium-term and long-term,” declared Aditya Thackeray, Cabinet Minister of Tourism & Environment, Government of Maharashtra during a webinar on COVID-19 and Hospitality. Aditya Thackeray advised the hoteliers to prepare two documents; one for the industry’s sustenance plus revival and one for driving its growth after that. He also shared the aspects that could be easily implemented by the state government such as abolishing electricity duty, which is charged at 21 percent, property tax waiver for 6-9 months with the caveat that landlords should pass it on to the establishments, and facilitating working capital requirements. Issues like the increased excise license fees that are payable upfront at this critical time when the industry has so many cash flow problems were highlighted along with a request that subsidies available to the manufacturing sector should be extended to hotels and restaurants so that they can do borrowing to sustain.