Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India on Thursday said it has again asked the government to withdraw the mandatory filing of online Air Suvidha form for inbound travellers as it is hindering growth in tourism as Covid-19 pandemic eases.
The association has apprised Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia about the difficulties encountered by international passengers in a representation, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) said in a statement.
"...with restrictions being relaxed across most countries and with India's vaccination drive yielding fruitful results, it is imperative that India also make necessary relaxations in this regard," it said.
Air Suvidha form is a self declaration to be mandatorily filled by all international arriving passengers to India disclosing their current health status and recent travel details, among others.
In its representation to the minister, FHRAI said many guests miss flights due to their inability to submit the form within the time limit, resulting in the cancellation of hotel room bookings. Since many travellers book flights through third-party online sites or apps which do not inform about this requirement, in such cases passengers are caught off-guard.
"Not only is filling out the online form tedious, coupled with difficulty in navigating the site and in uploading documents but also many travellers were completely unaware of the requirement until arriving at the check-in," it added.
With several passengers having missed their flights to India, FHRAI said it has appealed the ministry to at least have a provision for physical forms as an alternative to the online forms.
The difficulties encountered by passengers consequently are posing a hindrance to the growth of Indian tourism, post-pandemic, it added.
"The Indian tourism and hospitality industry cannot afford to lose potential tourists dropping plans of travel to India," FHRAI said.