Course: III Semester B.

A (HTJ)
Subject: Travel Agency & Tour Operation Organizations’

CHAPTER 1

Definition of Travel Agency

“TravelAgencies sell inclusive tours, holiday, transportation tickets and
other related products such as accommodations, car rentals, attraction
tickets and insurance to the public”.
“A Travel Agency is a middleman - a business or person selling the
travel industry’s individual parts or combination of the parts to the
consumer”.
In legal terms “TravelAgency is an agent of the principal – specifically,
transportation companies. The agency operates as a legally appointed
agent, representing the principal in certain geographic area. The agency
functions as a broker for the other suppliers, such as hotels, car rentals,
ground operators and tour companies”.

Functions of a Travel agency

The main function of a travel agency could be summarized as follows

• Advisory : The agency advices potential travelers on resorts, carriers,
travel companions and travel facts worldwide.
• Reservation : The agency makes reservations for all the travel
requirements
• Planning : It plans itineraries of all kinds including complex multi
stop over independent tours.
• Computation : It computes accurate airline and other fares and does
costing of tours and ticketing
• Correspondence : It correspondences by telephone, letter, telex,
fax etc, with travel principals and customers.
• Records : It maintains accurate files on reservation.
• Travel brochure : It maintains and displays stock of travel brochures
• Complaint handling : It intercedes with principals in the event of
customers complaints
• Insurance : It arranges insurance facilities for the customers
• Liaison : It maintains liaison with providers of the services
• Foreign exchange : It provides foreign exchange facilities for
customers
• Miscellaneous : It arranges any other special services ordered/
 required by the customer
Rights And Duties Of A Travel Agent/staff member
In many countries, the activities of travel agencies are authorized,
controlled and limited by the state. Such regulations have often been enacted for
protecting customers and guaranteeing professional standards. Thus a travel
agency.
• Must look after the rights and interests of its customers;
• Must hand them a dated and stamped ticket;
• Must see to it that the customer compiles with frontier regulations,
such as personal documents, passport, visas, custom declarations
etc.
• May terminate the contract in certain cases and in certain conditions
stipulated before hand in which case the customer may be entitled to
manage up to a certain amount.
• Recognize the traveler’s right to terminate the contract provided he
pays the agency for all the expenses incurred and waive the deposits
made in advance.
The public resorts to the services of a travel agency in the following
cases, in particular.
• For taking part in tours with an involved program where there are
numerous stages and various means of transport used.
• For stays in highly popular tourist resorts where it is difficult to book
rooms.
• For prolonged stays for which the tourist wishes to leave nothing to
change and to profit from the lower rates.
• For taking part in certain types of tourism which are not available
otherwise (curious, safaris, etc).

Definition of a Tour Operator

Tour Operators buy a range of tourist products in bulk – airline’s seats,
hotel rooms, coach services. They ‘package’ them for subsequent sale to
retailers or consumers. Their product is also called as Inclusive Tour
Packages.
Tour Operator is one who buys the individual elements in the travel
product on his own account and combines them in such a way that he is
selling a package travel, the tour, to his clients. He is remunerated by a
reasonable mark-up on the prices he had paid to the providers of the
services – which make up the packages.
Functions of a Tour Operator

Production • Developing, Planning, Reservation,

Consultation, Guiding
T.O. delivers value added to the customer
better product, easier to organize, cheaper
than own organization by customer
Marketing / Sales • T.O. acts as hinge (Scharnier) between
service providers and demand
•T.O. buys part of service providers offers
over specific period of time for specific price
•Product standardisation precondition for
T.O.s work
• Bundling/Packaging of several offers into a
one- stop package
Risk • T.O. has to bear the merchandising risk (not
selling products bought) and the quality risk

Information • Information about possible destinations and

activities
Social function • T.O. offer national and international tours
for persons, who would otherwise would not
dare to travel
• T.O. can offer affordable tours, who otherwise
could not travel for economic reasons
Destination • T.O. support the touristic development of
development destinations
• T.O. offer predictable demand, enabling
investment in touristical infrastructure
Destination changes • T.O. help to give value to otherwise
economically valueless resources
(traditions, nature)
• But T.O. need resources in a predictable,
consummable, standardized, cheap,
preferably all-year-round form
• Packaged tours have a bigger influence on
changing the local situation compared to
non- package tourism

Organization structure of a Travel Agency

The system of working of a travel agency varies from unit to unit and
depends largely upon the size and type of business handled by it. The
basic organizational set up almost remains the same in all the cases.
In a small travel agency there are two to five employees who deal with
sales and finance and accounting. They all work under the general
supervision of the manager/owner.
In a medium size travel agency, the number of employees may be up to
12. The general manager reports to the president or owner. He is responsible
for daily operation of the agency. The finance and accounting specialist or a
small finance and accounting department handle all the accounting and
automation tasks. In case the agency is dealing with the outside sales more
financial and accounting executives may be needed.
Generally a large brand agency with branch operations has separate
divisions for operation and marketing, each reporting to division head/vice-
president. Each branch has its own manager and sales agents. Finance
and accounting department performs all functions relating to bookkeeping,
filing and automation. Sales agents are divided into two departments –
commercial and leisure, with an agent supervisor and training supervisor for
both departments. The marketing division employs advertising director in
addition to finance and accounting executive who handle outside sales.
Managing a travel agency ensures number of activities and
responsibilities, such as.
 • General Management
• Financial Planning and Reporting
• Advertising and Public Relations
• Sales and Marketing
• Customer Services and Ticketing
• Book-Keeping, Invoicing and collections
• Purchasing, Inventory Maintenance and Control
• Personnel Recruitment, Orientation and Traini
Staff organization of a Small Travel Agency

Owner / Manager

Sales Finance and Accounting

Sales Agent Finance and Accounting

Specialist
Staff Organization Chart of a Medium-sized Travel Agency

Owner / President

General Manager

Sales Finance &Accounting Outside Sales

Supervisors, Agents & Finance & Accounting Supervisors, Finance &

Trainers Specialists Accounting Executives
CHAPTER 2
Travel Agency Types
According to the international institute for the unification of private law
(UNIDROIT), travel agency can be of two categories.
1. An Intermediary TravelAgency
2. An Organising Travel Agency
Intermediary Travel Agency
It undertakes as intermediary to act for another, in obtaining either a
journey or a sojourn possible in return for the price for the services.
Organizing Travel Agency
An organizing Travel Agency undertakes to organize for the public, a
journey or sojourn comprising a series of services.
These two categories also known as travel agent and tour operator.
Another nomenclature for travel agency could be as:
1. Wholesalers
• Awholesaler as he called specializes in putting together tour offerings,
which marketed to the public through a network of retail agents or airlines.
He does not deal directly with the consumer unless he is also operates at retail
level.
• A wholesaler travel agent may design tour packages marketed under
his agency’s name, or he may take land packages already assembled by a
ground operator and combine them with air or a surface transportation to
form new packages.
2. Retail travel agents
• The retailer travel agent or retailer sells travel services directly to
costumers. He acts as agent.
Forms of a Travel Agency
 As like any business firm or company, the travel agency can of as
following:
Proprietorship : It is a business owned by an individual. Its debt,
obligations and taxes, known as liabilities are the owner’s personal
liabilities, and income from a proprietorship is considered the owner’s
personal income. The owner must report all the income on his or her
individual income tax return. Expenses such as advertising, bank charges,
equipment, depreciation, insurance, office supplies, rent, utilities and other
costs of doing business may be deducted from income before taxes are paid.
Partnership : Travel agency being seen on a partnership basis is jointly
owned by two or more individuals. The cash, possessions, and other items
of value, known as assets; and all the obligations (liabilities) are shared
equally by each partner. Each owner is taxed according to his or her share of
profits.
Corporate : A corporate travel agency is owned by shareholders/
stockholders who are represented by a board of directors. Unlike a
proprietorship or partnership a corporation is considered to have its own
identity, separate from that of its owners. Legally, it is a ‘person’ by and of
itself.

Types of Tour Operators:

 Inbound tour operators (incoming tour operators):

The operators who receive guests, clients/tourists and handle arrangements in the host
country are called inbound tour operators.

 Outbound tour operators:

Tour operators, who promotes tours to foreign destinations, may be business tours or
leisure tours are called outbound tour operators. Indian Outbound Tour Operators.
Indian outbound tourist traffic is growing at a rate of 10 % annually and this makes
India the second largest country in the world with regard to the travelling population.

 Domestic tour operators:

Domestic tour operators are those who assemble, combine tourist components into
inclusive tours and sell it to the domestic travellers. In general, these tour operators
provide travel services within the tourist's native or home country. The domestic’s tour
operators operate within the boundary of home country and offer package tours to the
traveller’s viz. domestic’s inclusive tours or independent tours.

 Ground Operators:

These are commonly known as handling agencies and their main function is to organise
tours arrangements for incoming tourists on behalf of overseas operators.

Procedure to become a Travel Agency/Setting up of a Travel Agency

/Guidelines For Recognition / Renewal As An Approved Travel Agent
1. The aims and objectives of the scheme for recognition of Travel
Agent are to encourage quality standard and service in this category so as to
promote tourism in India. This is a voluntary scheme open to all bonafide
travel agencies to bring them in organized sector.
2. Definition : A Travel Agent is one who makes arrangements of
tickets for travel by air, rail, ship, passport, visa, etc. It may also arrange
accommodation, tours, entertainment and other tourism related services.

3.The application for recognition shall be addressed to the Additional

Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Transport Bhawan, No.1, Parliament
Street, New Delhi-110001.
4.The recognition as an approved TravelAgent shall be granted by the
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, New Delhi initially, for five years,
based on the Inspection Report / Recommendations of a Committee
comprising of concerned Regional Director and a member of TAAI.
5. The renewal / extension, thereafter, shall be granted for five years
after Inspection conducted by a Committee comprising of concerned Regional
Director and a member of TAAI, on an application made by the Travel Agent
along with the requisite fee / documents.
6.The documents received from applicants after scrutiny in all respects
will be acknowledged by the Travel Trade Division in respect of first approval
and by the concerned Regional Director for renewal. The inspection for first
approval / renewal shall be conducted by the Inspection Team within a
period of sixty working days from the receipt of complete application.
7. The following conditions must be fulfilled by the TravelAgency for
 grant of recognition by Ministry of Tourism.
(a) The application for grant of recognition / renewal shall be in the
prescribed form and submitted in duplicate along with the required
documents.
(b) The travelAgency should have a minimum Paid up Capital or (Capital
employed) of Rs.3.00 lakh duly supported by the Audited Balance Sheet/
Chartered Accountant’s Certificate.

(a) The TravelAgency should be approved byInternationalAir Transport

Association (IATA) or should be General Sales Agent (GSA) / Passenger Sales
Agent (PSA) of an IATA member Airlines.
(b) The Travel Agency should have been in operation for a minimum
period of one year before the date of application.
(c) The minimum office space should be at least 150 sq. ft for rest of
India and 100 sq. ft for hilly areas which are above 1000 meters from sea
level. Besides, the office may be located in a neat and clean surrounding and
equipped with telephone, fax and computer reservation system etc. There
should be sufficient space for reception and easy access to toilet facilities.
(d) The Travel Agency should be under the charge of the Owner or a
full time member who is adequately trained, experienced in matters regarding
ticketing, itineraries, transport, accommodation facilities, currency, customs
regulations and tourism and travel related services. Besides this, greater
emphasis may be given to effective communication skills, knowledge of foreign
languages, other than English.
There should be a minimum of four qualified staff out of which at least
one should have Diploma / Degree in Tourism & Travel Management from a
recognized University, IITTM or an institution approved by AICTE. The owner
of the firm would be included as one of the qualified employees.
The academic qualifications may be relaxed in case of the other two
staff members who are exceptionally experienced personnel in Airlines,
Shipping, Transport and PR agencies, Hotel and other Corporate Bodies and
those who have worked for three years with IATA / UFTA agencies and also
those who have two years experience with Ministry of Tourism approved
TravelAgencies.
For the agencies located in the North – Eastern region, remote and
rural areas, there should be a minimum of two staff out of which one should
be a qualified employee with a Diploma / Degree in Tourism & Travel
Management from a recognized University, IITTM or an institution approved
byAICTE. The owner of the firm would be included as one of the qualified
employees.
(e) The Travel Agency should be an income-tax assesses and should
have filed Income Tax Return for the current assessment year.
(c)For outsourcing any of the services relating to tourists, the travel
agencies shall use approved specialized agencies in the specific field of activity.
8. The Travel Agency will be required to pay a non-refundable fee of
Rs.3, 000/- while applying for the recognition and renewal of Head Office as
well as each Branch Office. The fee will be payable to the Pay and Accounts
Officer, Ministry of Tourism, in the form of a Bank Draft.
9. The recognition / renewal will be granted to the Head Office of the
TravelAgency. Branch Offices will be approved along with the Head Office or\
subsequently, provided the particulars of the Branch Offices are submitted
to Ministry of Tourismfor recognition and concerned Regional Director for
renewal and accepted by it.
10. The TravelAgency so granted recognition / renewal shall be entitled
to such incentives and concessions as may be granted by the Government
from time to time and shall abide by the terms and conditions of
recognition as prescribed from time to time by the Ministry of Tourism,
Government of India.
11. Even though the scheme of granting approval of recognition to
service providers of Travel Trade is voluntary, in nature, there is a need to
have a pro - active role of Ministry of Tourism and Travel Trade to ensure
that more and more service providers seek approval and then service the
tourists. There is also a need to educate the stakeholders as well as
consumers against the potential risk of availing services through the
unapproved service providers.
12. It shall be mandatory for an approved service provider of Travel
Trade to prominently display the Certificate of approval of recognition given by
Ministry of Tourism in the office by pasting it on a board or in a picture frame
so that it is visible to a potential tourist.

13. The decision of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in the

matter of recognition / renewal shall be final. However, MOT may in their
discretion refuse to recognize / renew any firm or withdraw / withhold at
any time recognition / renewal already granted with the approval of the
Competent Authority. Before such a decision is taken, necessary Show Cause
Notice would invariably be issued and the reply considered on merit. This will
be done after careful consideration and generally as a last resort.
Circumstances in which withdrawal is affected would also be indicated.
Approval for a Travel Agency From IATA

The most important recognition a travel agent should possess is the

IATA recognition. This enables an agent to make reservations and issue
tickets on IATA member airlines. It also enables the agent to claim his
commission of 7% from the respective airlines, for issuing such tickets.
There are about 130 airlines, which are members of IATA. The agency seeking
IATArecognition has to meet stringent requirements and qualifications.
Before a travel agency applies for IATA recognition, it should be
functioning as a full-fledged travel agency for a minimum period of 9-12months.
An application has to be submitted to the Area Headquarters of IATAin Mumbai
with detailed information regarding the company such as.
• Background of partners or directors of proprietor and their staff.
• Financial standing/ Capital, investments etc. Location and area
• Security measures
• Present turnover
• Balance sheet, profit and loss account, names of bankers
• Sales figures.
The application is screened by a panel of airlines. If the panel is satisfied
with all the requirements and conditions, the agency qualifies for
recognition. The processing of the application could take anything between
1-4 months. After approval has been granted, there is an annual review and
the agent has to keep up the minimum level of productivity as stated by the
panel. In the event of its inability to meet this level continuously for 3 years,
the agency could run the risk of losing its recognition.

Procedure to become a Tour operator/Setting up of a Tour operator

/Guidelines For Recognition / Renewal As An Approved Tour operator

An accreditation policy for tour operators primarily for two reasons:

demand for recognition of tour operators in order to convince clients about
the quality of products and services offered and need for the government to
maintain the quality of services and image of the destination The
international tourism industry (which is where many potential clients come
from) is extremely wary of “fly-by-night” operators who open their businesses
only to disappear within a year or so.
It is important to establish a reputation as being reliable. It must be
clearly understood by anyone wishing to enter tourism as a tour operator
that very hard work is essential in order to succeed. International clients
need & expect service at almost any time of the day or night. For a tour
operator trying to establish a business, therefore essential to recognize by
any governmental, national or international tourism organization.
Approval By Ministry of Tourism as a Domestic Tour
Opeartor
Guidelines For Recognition As An Approved Domestic Tour Operator
1. The aims & objectives of the scheme for recognition of Domestic
Tour Operator are to encourage quality standard and service in this category
so as to promote tourism in India. This is a voluntary scheme open to all
bonafide tour Operators to bring them in organized sector.
2. Definition : Adomestic tour operator is one who makes
arrangements for transport, accommodation, sight seeing, entertainment
and other tourism related services for domestic tourists.
3.Applications for recognition shall be addressed to the Additional
Director General, Ministryof Tourism, Transport Bhawan, 1, Parliament
Street, New Delhi- 110 001.
4.The recognition as an approved Domestic Tour Operator shall be
granted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, New Delhi initially,
for five years, based on the Inspection Report / Recommendations of a
Committee comprising of concerned Regional Director and a member of
ADTOI.
5. The renewal / extension thereafter shall be granted for five years
after Inspection conducted bya Committee comprising ofconcerned Regional
Director and a member ofADTOI, on an application made by the Domestic Tour
Operator along with the requisite fee / documents.

6. Documents received from applicants after scrutiny in all respects

will be acknowledged bythe Regional Director concerned. The inspection for
renewal shall be conducted by the Inspection team within a period of two
months from the receipt of complete application, failing which it will be
deemed as renewed.
7. The following conditions must be fulfilled by the Domestic Tour
Operator for grant of recognition by Ministry of Tourism.
(a) The application for grant of recognition shall be in the prescribed
form and submitted in duplicate.
(b) The Domestic Tour operator should have a minimum paid up capital
(or capital employed) of Rs.5.00 lakhs duly supported by the latest audited
balance sheet/Chartered Accountant’s certificate.
(c) The turn-over of the firm from tour operation business only should
be a minimum of Rs. 20.00 lakhs duly supported by Chartered
Accountant’s certificate.
(d) The Domestic Tour operator has an office under the charge of a full
time member of their staff, who is adequately trained/ experienced in
matters regarding transport, accommodation, currency, customs regulations
and general information about travel and tourism related services. However,
greater emphasis may be given to effective communication skills in Hindi and
English. There should be a minimum of four qualified staff out of which at least
two should have Diploma/ Degree in Travel and Tourism from recognized
university, IITTM or an institution approved by AICTE.
The academic qualifications may be relaxed in case of experienced
personnel in Airlines, Shipping, Transport, PR Agencies, Hotels and other
corporate bodies and those who have 2 years experience with Ministry of
Tourism approved tour operators. Similarly, for the agencies located in
North-east, religious, remote and rural areas, there should be a minimum of
two qualified staff.
(e) The Domestic Tour Operator should have been in operation for a
minimum period of one year before the date of application.
(f) The minimum office space should be of 250 sq. ft besides the office
may be located in neat and clean surroundings and equipped with telephone,
fax and computer reservation system etc. There should be sufficient
space for reception and easy access to toilets.
(g) The Domestic Tour operator should be an income tax assesses and
should have filed Income Tax Returns for the last or current assessment
year.

They should have registered for Service Tax and made full payment of the
assessed service tax for the preceding year.
(h) The Domestic Tour Operators should employ only Regional Guides
trained and licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and
State level Guides as well as local guides approved by the State
Governments.
(i) The Domestic Tour operator shall contract/use approved specialized
agencies in the field of Adventure Options and related services for the
tourists.
8. The Domestic Tour operator willbe required to paya non-
refundable fee of Rs.3, 000/- while applying for the recognition and renewalof
Head Office as well as each Branch Office. The fee will be made payable to
the Pay & Accounts Officer, Ministry of Tourism in the form of a Bank Draft.
9. Recognition will be granted to the Head Office of the Domestic
Tour Operator. Branch offices will be approved along with the Head Office
provided the particulars of the Branchoffices are submitted to Ministry of
Tourism and accepted by it.
10. Domestic Tour operator, granted recognition, shall be entitled to
such incentives and concessions as maybe granted by Government from time
to time and shall abide by the terms and conditions of recognition as
prescribed from time to time by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
11. The decision of the Government of India in the matter of recognition
shall be final. However, the Govt. of India may in their discretion refuse to
recognize any firm or withdraw/withhold at any time recognition already
granted with the approval of the Additional Director General of the Ministry of
Tourism. Before such a decision is taken, necessary show cause notice
would be issued and the reply considered on merit. Circumstances in which
withdrawal is affected would also be indicated.
Approval By Ministry of Tourism As An Inbound Tour
Operator
Government Of India Ministry Of Tourism Guidelines For Recognition
/ Renewal As An Approved Inbound Tour Operator
1.The aims and objectives of the scheme for recognition of Inbound
Tour Operator are to encourage quality standard and service in this category
so as to promote tourism in India and abroad. This is a voluntary scheme
open to all bonafide tour operators to bring them in organized sector.
2. Definition : An Inbound tour operator is one who makes
arrangements for transport, accommodation, sight seeing, entertainment and
other tourism related services for foreign tourists.

3.The application for recognition shall be addressed to the Additional

Director General, Ministryof Tourism, Transport Bhawan, 1, Parliament
Street, New Delhi - 110 001.
4. The recognition as an approved Inbound Tour Operator shall be
granted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, New Delhi initially,
for five years, based on the Inspection Report / Recommendations of a
Committee comprising of concerned Regional Director and a member of IATO.
5. The renewal / extension, thereafter, shall be granted for five years
after inspection conducted by a Committee comprising of concerned Regional
Director and a member of IATO, on an application made by the Tour Operator
along with the requisite fee / documents.
6.The documents received from applicants after scrutiny in all respects
will be acknowledged by the Travel Trade Division in respect of first approval
and by the concerned Regional Director for renewal. The inspection for first
approval / renewal shall be conducted by the Inspection Team within a
period of sixty working days from the receipt of complete application.
7. The following conditions must be fulfilled by the Inbound Tour
Operator for grant of recognition / renewal by Ministry of Tourism.
(a) The application for grant of recognition / renewal shall be in the
prescribed form and submitted in duplicate along with the required
documents.
 (b) The Inbound Tour operators located in rest of India should have a
minimum Paid up Capital (or Capital employed) of Rs.3.00 lakh and Rs.
50,000/
- in the case of North – Eastern region, remote and rural areas, duly supported
by the latest Audited Balance Sheet/Chartered Accountant’s certificate.
(c) The turn-over in terms of foreign exchange earnings by the firm from
inbound tour operations only during the preceding financial year or
calendar year should be a minimum of Rs. 25.00 lakh for rest of India and
Rs. 5.00 lakh for the North – Eastern region, remote and rural areas duly
supported by Chartered Accountant’s certificate. However, for the North –
Eastern Region, the Chartered Accountant’s Certificate regarding turn – over of
the firm in Rupee earnings would be treated as Foreign Exchange earnings,
provided there is documentary evidence that such earnings are from inbound
tour operations only.
(d) The Inbound Tour operator should have an office under the charge
of the owner or a full time member of their staff, who is adequately trained
/ experienced in matters regarding transport, accommodation, currency,
customs regulations and general information about tourism and travel
related services. However, greater emphasis may be given to effective
communication skills and knowledge of foreign language other than English.
There should be a minimum of four qualified staff out of which at least one
should have Diploma / Degree in Tourism & Travel Management from a
recognized University, IITTM or an institution approved byAICTE.
The owner of the firm would be included as one of the qualified
employees. The academic qualifications may be relaxed in case of the other two
staff members who are exceptionally experienced personnel in Airlines,
Shipping, Transport, PR Agencies, Hotels and other corporate bodies and
those who have two years experience with Ministry of Tourism approved tour
operators. For the agencies located in the North – Eastern region, remote
and rural areas, there should be a minimum of two staff out of which one
should be a qualified employee with a Diploma / Degree in Tourism & Travel
Management from a recognized University, IITTM or an institution approved
by AICTE. The owner of the firm would be included as one of the qualified
employees.
(e) The Inbound Tour Operator should have been in operation for a
minimum period of one year before the date of application.
(f) The minimum office space should be at least 150 sq. ft for rest of
India and 100 sq. ft for hilly areas which are above 1000 meters from sea
level. Besides, the office may be located in neat and clean surroundings and
equipped with telephone, fax and computer reservation system etc. There
should be sufficient space for reception and easy access to toilets.
 (g) The Inbound Tour operator should be an income tax assessee and
should have filed Income Tax Returns for the last or current assessment year.
(h). Disclaimer : The Inbound Tour Operator should employ only
Regional Level Guides trained and licensed by Ministryof Tourism, Government
of India and State Level Guides approved by the State Governments. The
implementation of this clause would be subject to the decision of Hon’ble High
Court of Rajasthan in Writ Petition No. 5607 / 2004 and other Hon’ble
Courts.
(i). The Inbound Tour Operator shall contract / use approved
specialized agencies in the field of adventure options and related services for
the tourists
8.The inbound tour operator will be required to pay a non - refundable
fee of Rs.3, 000/- while applying for the recognition and renewalof Head Office
as well as each Branch Office. The fee will be made payable to the Pay &
Accounts Officer, Ministry of Tourism in the form of a Bank Draft.
9. The recognition / renewal will be granted to the Head Office of the
Domestic Tour Operator. Branch offices will be approved along with the Head
Office or subsequently, provided the particulars of the Branch offices are
submitted to Ministry of Tourism for recognition and for renewal to the
concerned Regional Director and accepted by it.
10. The Inbound Tour Operator so granted recognition / renewal
shall be entitled to such incentives and concessions as may be granted by
the Government from time to time and shall abide by the terms and
conditions of recognition as prescribed from time to time by the Ministry
of Tourism, Government of India.
11. Even though the scheme of granting approval of recognition to
service providers of Travel Trade is voluntary, in nature, there is a need to
have a pro - active role of Ministry of Tourism and Travel Trade to ensure
that more and more service providers seek approval and then service the
tourists. There is also a need to educate the stakeholders as well as
consumers against the potential risk of availing services through the
unapproved service providers.
12. It shall be mandatory for an approved service provider of Travel
Trade to prominently display the Certificate of approval of recognition given by
Ministry of Tourism in the office by pasting it on a board or in a picture frame
so that it is visible to a potential tourist.
13. The decision of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in the
matter of recognition / renewal shall be final. However, MOT may in their
discretion refuse to recognize / renew any firm or withdraw / withhold at
any time recognition / renewal already granted with the approval of the
Competent Authority. Before such a decision is taken, necessary Show Cause
Notice would
 invariably be issued and the reply considered on merit. This
will be done after careful consideration and generally as a last
resort. Circumstances in which withdrawal is affected would
also be indicated.
14. The guidelines including application form may be
downloaded from website www.tourism.gov.in.

Source of Income/Revenue of a Travel agency/Tour operator

A travel agency runs on the commission received for

providing travel and travel related services to its customers.
Some of the incentives estimated as receivable a lATA agent is.
• Sale of International tickets – 5%
• Sale of other domestic airlines tickets – 5% (could vary
form airline to airline)
• Sale of Indrail pass in Indian Railways to foreigners –
10% (if you are authorized Railway booking agent)
• Hotel bookings - 10% on room rates only (depending
on your tie-up with hotel groups and individual
hoteliers)
• Cruise booking (10% to 20%)
• Car / Coach hire - approx – 10%
• Inbound tours - Quotations are normally given with
hike up between 10 – 20%
 • Package tours - 10%
• Foreign package tours offered by local travel agents commissionable to
other travel agents are either a fixed sum per head or a maximum of
10%.
The profitability of the agency will depend on how much the above
commissions are passed on to the client. Due to very stiff competition
nowadays, the travel agencies have to part with a significant part of the
commission earned and so the margin of profit is very small. This makes it
doubly important to ensure that the agency is run efficiently and all
unnecessary expenses be curtailed.

The rates of tour operator lie in his ability to secure discounts through
bulk purchases and to assemble a very convenient and well-made
package. The main source of revenue of tour operations may be divided into
following heads.
1. Summer Inclusive Tour Programs
2. Winter Inclusive Tour Programs
3. Minimum rated Packages (involving transport with nominal
accommodation)
4. Holiday Insurance
5. Excursions and Destinations
6. Interest on Deposits and Currency Speculations

Role of a Travel Agency or Importance of Travel agency

(a) Inbound Tourism
Most of the travel companies are in private sectors and their main
objectives is to earn profit; in spite of this they play a key role in the
promotion and development of international tourism. In India about 50
percent the established travel companies handle foreign tourists and other
visitors make their own independent arrangements.
(b) Outbound Tourism
Since the deregulations of air industry the outbound tourism has
been increasing rapidly. Today outbound tourist traffic is growing thing at
rate of 10 percent. This indicates that India is the second largest countyin
outbound tourism. The major outbound destinations are Europe, UK,
Southeast Asia, Greece, and East Asia, USA, Egypt and Australia.
The fun tours of TCI are the Evidence of quality inclusive outbound
package that generally include deluxe class accommodation Indian meals
transportation by deluxe couches Experienced tour escort sightseeing
and interaction with local culture. This will create sound international
relationship between the developing and build better relation abroad.

(c) Domestic Tourism

The Indian Travel Companion has offered and continues to formulate
flexible and economical packages to popular holiday- destinations like Golden
Triangle, Goa, Shimala, Kulu-Manali, Derjaling, Bangalore, Hydrabad, Mysore,
Ooty, J&K, Lakshadweep and many more destinations. In fact they are
contributing to the causes of national instigation.
(d) Employment Generation
No other sector of Indian economy has generated huge employment
opportunities like the travel and tourism industry. The travel industry
employees over 25000 people directly and thousands of indirectly in India.
The world travel and tourism council forecasts that during the next decade
more than 10 million jobs willbe created by travel and tourism industry along
across the world economy.
(e) Earning of Foreign Currency
The foreign exchange brought to India by the travel companies is a vital
contribution toward the national economy. It is a major factor on India
Balance of payment position. Therefore the government has taken various
steps either through collaboration or through their own tourist offices
abroad, to maximize the tourist receipts.
(f) Destination Promotion Development
Today many travel companies with the collaboration of state tourism
corporations and tourism departments are contributing in promoting and
development new destinations even the government has also provided
various financial incentives to the private sector to promote tourism in the
country. The role and contribution of travel companies have been fully
appreciated in advanced countries. But in countries like India the role and
contribution has not been appreciated and recognized due to the
unorganized sector. Still the travel companies have the greatest impact on
account of balance of payment, employment, international understanding
and national instigation.
Travel agents help travelers sort through vast amounts of information to
help them make the best possible travel arrangements. They offer advice on
destinations and make arrangements for transportation, hotel
accommodations, car rentals, and tours for their clients. They are also the
primary source of bookings for most of the major cruise lines. In addition,
resorts and specialty travel groups use travel agents to promote travel
packages to their clients.
Travel agents are also increasingly expected to know about and be able
to advise travelers about their destinations, such as the weather conditions,
local ordinances and customs, attractions, and exhibitions. For those
traveling internationally, agents also provide information on customs
regulations, required papers (passports, visas, and certificates of vaccination),
travel advisories, and currency exchange rates. In the event of changes in
itinerary in the middle of a trip, travel agents intercede on the traveler’s
behalf to make alternate booking arrangements.
Travel agents use a variety of published and computer-based sources
for information on departure and arrival times, fares, quality of hotel
accommodations, and group discounts. They may also visit hotels, resorts,
and restaurants themselves to evaluate the comfort, cleanliness, and the
quality of specific hotels and restaurants so that they can base
recommendations on their own experiences or those of colleagues or clients.
Travel agents who primarily work for tour operators and other travel
arrangers may help develop, arrange, and sell the company’s own package
tours and travel services. They may promote these services, using
telemarketing, direct mail, and the Internet. They make presentations to
social and special- interest groups, arrange advertising displays, and suggest
company-sponsored trips to business managers.
Importance of a Travel Agency / Agent
Travel agents help travelers sort through vast amounts of information to
help them make the best possible travel arrangements. They offer advice on
destinations and make arrangements for transportation, hotel
accommodations, car rentals, and tours for their clients. They are also the
primary source of bookings for most of the major cruise lines. In addition,
resorts and specialty travel groups use travel agents to promote travel
packages to their clients.
Travel agents are also increasingly expected to know about and be able
to advise travelers about their destinations, such as the weather conditions,
local ordinances and customs, attractions, and exhibitions. For those
traveling internationally, agents also provide information on customs
regulations, required papers (passports, visas, and certificates of vaccination),
travel advisories, and currency exchange rates. In the event of changes in
itinerary in the middle of a trip, travel agents intercede on the traveler’s
behalf to make alternate booking arrangements.
Travel agents use a variety of published and computer-based sources
for information on departure and arrival times, fares, quality of hotel
accommodations, and group discounts. They may also visit hotels, resorts,
and restaurants themselves to evaluate the comfort, cleanliness, and the
quality of specific hotels and restaurants so that they can base
recommendations on their own experiences or those of colleagues or clients.
 Travel agents who primarily work for tour operators and other travel
arrangers may help develop, arrange, and sell the company’s own package
tours and travel services. They may promote these services, using
telemarketing, direct mail, and the Internet. They make presentations to
social and special- interest groups, arrange advertising displays, and suggest
company-sponsored trips to business managers.
Today, Travel Agencies have been recognised as a vital component of
travel and tourismand have become an integral part of traveland tourism
industry at global. TheyAccount for more than 90% of international and 70% of
domestic tourist traffic. Further, more than 60% of all travel agency revenues
are derived from the business travel. Most travel agencies sell both
commercial and leisure travel but there is many travel agencies which only
specialize in one sector or the other.
The operation ofeach travel agency is based on the scope of its activities
and organisational size. In this chapter we will discuss the functions of a
large scale travel’ agency that performs all types of activities such as retail TA,
whole selling and tour operations etc.
1.4 Online Travel Agency
TravelAgency which provides travel information through online mode
by own websites are known as online travel agency. As more and more people
have the access to the internet nowadays, the need for travelagencies has
declined as the airline companies have started to sell products directly to the
customers online. As a result, many agencies have started their own website
with details of the travel information. These websites use high end technology
travel solutions which help them to deal with the latest updates and details
of thousands of hotels, flights and car rental services.
Some of these websites also provide options that allow the users to
compare flight and hotel rates with other companies. The travel agencies
have used dynamic packaging utilities, which has helped them provide
services that are fully bonded at the same prices and sometimes even lower
than the online booking sites. All the online sites work with different travel
agencies, which provides them with more efficiency once a customer orders a
ticket or books a hotel.
Online travel agencies do not have an office or overhead, they can
generally get better deals on airfare and hotel accommodations than travel
agents with offices and overhead. Online travel agents usually work from the
comfort of their own homes and are fortunate enough not to have to go into
an office. The savings that the company receives by not having an office
can often be
 passed on to the customer. There has never been a better time to
travel, both on an international and domestic level.
Online travel sales in India have crossed $2 billion in
2010. The online travel market is growing in severalAsian
countries, because of rising Internet use in large cities. India is
showing great potential for online businesses and as a result,
great potential for online travel retail. Leading top 10 Online
TravelAgency of India are as.
1. Makemytrip.com
2. Yatra.com
3. Cleartrip.com
4. Ezeego1.com
5. Arzoo.com
6. Travelguru.com
7. Travel.indiatimes.com
8. Ixigo.com
9. Travelocity.co.in
10. Desiya.in

CHAPTER 3

Airline Ticketing

Airline Geography
Airline geography is the study of various cities,
airports and countries served by the airlines. These are of
two types – International airline geography and Domestic
airline geography. The domestic geography deals with
Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern regions of
India, whereas international airline geography is
concerned with all other areas of the world. Airline
geography is based on the standards set by the
International Air Transport Association (IATA). We can
imagine the difficulties that airlines might be facing with
personnel from more than 210 different airlines using
different rules, regulations and languages. To maintain
proper coordination there is a need for standardization,
 which is provided by IATA.

IATA provides definitions, codes, spelling created by

International Standards Organization (ISO), which should
be understood by Travel agents.

Airfare calculation
This requires agency staff to have a basic knowledge
of airfares; different prices and rates essential to serve
the clients. First he should know what is an Airfare?
Airfare is the price paid by a client to purchase an airline seat.

In other words, it is a price paid to acquire the right

to use an airline seat in a specific aircraft and within a
prescribed period.
Airfares are of two types- International and Domestic
airfare. Domestic airfare is applicable only after the
approval from Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
International airfares are applicable only after the
approval from International Air Transport Association
(IATA), which are based on bilateral agreements between
the countries.

Airfare is based on three main factors:

 Class of Service
 Fare Basis
 Fare Rules
 CATEGORIES OF AIRFARE

The airfares fall into two categories: -

(1) Normal Fares
(2) Special Fares
- Promotional Fares
- Group Fares
- Military Fares
- Senior Citizen Fares
- Tour/ Discounted Fare

BASIC AIRLINE TICKETING

PROCEDURES

The travel agency is accountable for ticket stocks

and the collection on behalf of the airlines. Therefore, it
must follow some guidelines while issuing an airline
ticket, which are as follows:
- Confirm seat through a computer or other modes.
- Check the travel documents.
- Select the form of passenger ticket.
- Use the identification plate of an area settlement plan of the
carrier.
- At the time of delivery of a complete ticket,
detach the auditor’s and the agent’s coupons.
- All entries in tickets must be in Block Letters.
- Write the full name of each city in an itinerary.
- Enter the stopover codes clearly.
- Enter the fare box and total fare box properly and carefully.
- Be sure about special fares MPM, TPM and ticket validity.
Keeping the above points in mind, a travel agency gets
the reservation sheet filled.
Domestic AIRFARE CALCULATION
This is considered to be the most complex task of
Ticketing. This means dividing of air itinerary into
different fare parts and showing how each fare has been
calculated. The calculation also depends on the type of
journey – for example, one way, round, circle or open jaw.

AIRFARE CALCULATION FOR DOMESTIC

AIRLINES
 The domestic airfare calculations are comparatively
easier to understand. They are not governed by so many
regulations and conditions. In India there are more than
10 private sectors airlines whereas there is only one
public sector airline for domestic travel.
Till early 1990s, Indian Airlines occupied the
maximum market share, i.e. 60% of the total domestic
market. The transformation began in the mid 1990s,
when the government scrapped a ban on privately owned
airlines. A host of smaller carriers sprouted up. The
company distributes free of cost ‘Fare Chart Sheet’ which
includes point-to-point airfare and its network
(Operation).
It includes following
Base Fare +Inland Air Travel Tax
+Passenger Service Tax. Passenger service tax at
present is calculated at 0.51% of base fare.

Example: 1 Mrs. Chopra wants to travel from Delhi

to Mumbai one way after twelve days from today, in the
morning. She wants her booking done in Economy Class.
She wants to know the domestic fare that she is
requested to pay.
Solution: She can get her booking done online
which provides information about all such flights
available from host of public and private airlines.

XYZ airline charges air fare in the following manner: -

Base Fare = Rs
3610
Add: Air port tax = Rs 221
Add: Service tax = Rs
(0.5%) 19
Rs
3850

Example: 2 Calculate the fare to be paid by Mrs.

Kapoor for the flight, which she wishes to take from
Mumbai to Hyderabad for one way travel.

Solution: Base Fare from Bombay to

Hyderabad = Rs. 8000 Inland Air
Travel Tax = Rs.
840
Service Tax = Rs. 40
 Total Fare = Rs. 8880
Travel Agents get commission from Airlines on the
Sale of Tickets. They pass on part of this commission by
way of discount in Airfare to their clients. This is what we
can find, if she has to get the ticket straight from Airline.
If she has to pay, in case she gets it from travel agent, the
Airfare arrived at is shown below. Since travel agent
gets discount from airlines of around 5%, he may pass on
3% of it to the client: -
Base Fare = Rs. 8840 (Inclusive
of IATT)
Service tax = Rs. 45
(0.5%)
Total = Rs. 8885
Discount = Rs. 265
(3%)

Net Fare to be paid = Rs.

8620
 Example 3: Calculate fare to be paid by Mr. Tiwari for the
itinerary shown as below:
BOM-HYD-BOM
Base Fare is 5000, Airport tax is 400, and Service tax is 0.5%.
Agent is allowing discount of 2%. What will be the final amount
that Mr. Tiwari is required to pay?

Solution:
Base Fare = Rs.
5000
Airport Tax = Rs. 400
Service Tax = Rs. 25
(0.5%)
Total = Rs.
5425
Discount = Rs. 108
(2%)
Net Fare to = Rs.
be paid 5317

Service Tax Charged by Domestic Airlines at present is @ of

0.51%. It is @1.02% for International Airlines.

Chapter-4
Cruise Industry
A cruise ship is a passenger used for pleasure voyages.Cruise ships are destinations
in themselves With features and amenities comparable or superior to land-based
resorts.Cruising is remarkably affordable and one can enjoy his/her dream
vacations.

Cruise tourism made its small beginnings in 1839 as part of the fortnightly crossing
mail service between Liverpool and Boston.The twentieth century compete for
progressively larger and faster passenger ships.

The concept of „tourist ship passengers‟ was enhanced with value additions to the
accommodations and activities.In response to the growing market demand, the ships
grew in size as well as number with the result that outgrew existing port capacities.

Types of cruises
 Ocean Voyages: A one-way passage from one point to another over a major
body of water.
 Standard Cruises: An open water cruise may be oneway or round-trip with
several ports of call.
  River/Canal Cruises: River and canal cruises are closely linked to the culture
and heritage of the country being toured.
 Destination / Expedition Cruises: based on the destination to be visited.
 Day Cruises: Day cruises are typically a cruise experience of 15 hours or less.
 Contemporary Cruises: These cruise lines typically have resort-style facilities
with heavy emphasis on shipboard activities.
 Luxury Cruises: offering high style luxury with emphasis on destinations and
ship-board amenities.
 Specialty Cruises: Adventure-style cruising with a heavy emphasis on
destination, education, and off ship activities.

Cruise Lines ,India

GOA: The most common one is the Super Star Libra. It‟s complete with a restaurant,
bars, and sports centre.

Mumbai:Mumbai is one of India‟s foremost ports that handle a huge number of ships
daily. Destinations for ships from Mumbai are Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Athens,
Southampton, Barcelona, Hong Kong and a lot of other port cities.

Andaman Nicobar Cruise: Regular passenger ship services are available to Port Blair
from Chennai, Kolkata and Vishakapatnam,

Cruise Lakshadweep: Star cruises like the Super Star Libra is famous for Mumbai to
Lakshadweep trips.

India is strategically located en-route between Europe and South East Asia.Star
Cruises and Carnival are exploring the region

GOVERNMENT INTIATIVES
The Indian Government has identified cruise tourism as a thrust area and is keen
to upgrade port facilities and simplify regulations in order to attract more cruise
lines and encourage them to spread their wings to India to discover our rich
offerings.

The following committees have been formed:

National Committee on cruise shipping constituted under Chairman, Mumbai Port
Trust (MPT) – to explore potential of cruise tourism and ascertain infrastructural
requirements at the identified ports.

National Committee under Director General of Tourism – to address marketing

related issues.

Port-level committees under respective chairmen with representatives of all

relevant service providers- to address and resolve issues at port level, monitor
requirements of cruise vessels and tourists.

Standing Committee under Secretary, In-charge of Tourism of respective State

Government with stakeholders

– to develop and monitor requisite tourist related services at places of tourist interest.
IMPACT OF GROWTH IN CRUISE SHIPPING SERVICES

Economic Impact: creation of jobs, new local business and rejuvenation of the local
economy.

Environmental Impact: The negative impact may arise due to one

or more of the following:

Concern arising from increase in air pollution, damage to local fish, shellfish and
water mammal populations

Concern regarding unloading and disposal of solid waste

Socio-cultural impact:

creating problems associated with overcrowding and congestion.

Increasing exposure of the local communities to large amounts of tourists on a

consistent basis thus creating tension among locals who feel they have lost their
privacy.

Loss of ability to preserve traditional cultural behaviour. Indian ports would need
to gear up for the challenge

As cruise terminals represent the entry point of cruise tourists into various tourism
locations and offer important opportunity to market the country‟s brand, its culture,
heritage, cuisine and other offerings.

Ports constitute the core infrastructure of the cruise sector. If India wishes to
integrate its position in this market Indian ports would have to meet internationally
accepted standards of ports infrastructure, passenger services, linkage ,other
convenience and amenities.

Present-day cruise ships are organized much like “floating hotels”.

There is an endless chain of entertainment activities on these ships, the range

including dance classes, classical music, casino lessons and so on.

Though cruises have all the features to fulfil someone‟s need but cruising is still a
niche product for a particular market like India where people are not very well aware
from this segment.

The marketing of cruise tourism has to be undertaken as a multi-pronged effort.

 Campaign like “incredible India” needs to be worked out to create a brand for the
cruise tourism industry in India.

CHAPTER 5

Inbound & Outbound Regulations

a. Passport and Types of passport

passport is a government-issued document that certifies the identity and nationality

of its holder for the purpose of international travel. The elements of identity
contained in all standardized passports include information about the holder,
including name, date of birth, gender and place of birth.

1.Ordinary passport (tourist passport, regular passport, passport)

Issued to citizens or nationals, and generally the most-issued type of passport.

2. Official passport (service passport, also special passport)

Issued to government employees for work-related travel, and to accompanying

dependents.

3.Diplomatic passport

Issued to diplomats and other government officials for work-related

international travel, and to accompanying dependents.

4. Emergency passport (temporary passport)

Issued to persons whose passports were lost or stolen, and who do not have
time to obtain replacement passports. Sometimes laissez-passerare used for
this purpose.

5. Collective passport

Issued to defined groups for travel together to particular destinations, such as

a group of school children on a school trip to a specified country.

6. Family passport

Issued to family members—father, mother, son, daughter. There is one

passport holder. The passport holder may travel alone or with one or more
 other family members. A family member who is not the passport holder cannot
use the passport for travel unless accompanied by the passport holder.

7. Certificate of identity (Alien's passport)

A document issued under certain circumstances - such as statelessness - to

non-citizen residents. Sometimes alien's passports are issued as internal
passport to non-residents.

b. VISA

A visa is an official document, usually stamped or glued inside a passport, giving

permission from a foreign authority for you to enter a country.

Requirements, fees and processing times vary, depending on the country and type of
visa you need. The most common categories are business, work, student and tourist
visas.

Each country has a multitude of categories of visas and with various names. The
most common types and names of visas include:

By purpose:

1. Collective Visa: Collective can be issued to group tours consisting of not less than 4
members and sponsored by a travel agency recognized by the govt. of India.
2. Business Visa: This visa is given to those who would like to make a business in
India.
3. Conference Visa: It is given to those who would like to visit india for International
conferences, Issued to delegates provided they have an invitation to a conference,
seminar, workshop being organized in india by Ministry or department of the Govt. of
India, state govt., public sector undertakings, central educational institutions, NGO,
Public funded University etc.
4. Diplomatic Visa: These are issued to the diplomats and govt. officials of that country
who visits India on official purpose.
5. Employment/Job Visa: Issued to an employee or paid intern of an Indian company.
6. Emergency Visa: These visas are granted to persons in case of a genuine emergency
like death or illness of a blood relative/legal commitment.
7. Journalist Visa: This kind of Visa is given to journalist and photographers.
8. Medical visa: This kind of Visa is given to seek medical treatment only in
reputed/recognized specialized hospitals/treatment centers in India.
9. Research Visa: It is given to research professors or scholars, participants attending
research conferences/seminars/workshops.
10. Student Visa: Multiple entry visas are given to bonafide students to pursue
regular studies at recognized institutions in India.
11. Tourist Visa: A tourist visa is appropriate for those who would like to visit India
for tourism or non-business related purpose.
12. Transit Visa: This is granted for the sole purpose of enabling the visa holder to
travel through India to reach his/her ultimate destination.
 Permits

A domestic traveller in India might also have a need for a permit – restricted, protected and
inner line permits - to visit some areas. There are still certain areas in India which can be
accessed only with permits. For e.g. even for an Indian, to visit few islands in Andaman & Nicobar
Islands, a permit is required from competent authority .Even to visit some of the North-East states
of India require permit from a competent authority.

Travel insurance

 Travel insurance can help people with everything from a minor annoyance, like
a lost suitcase or messed up reservation, Trip cancellation, lost or delayed
baggage to a major problem like a serious illness or hurricane. In addition, toll
free assistance numbers can provide the security of having a “friend” in a
foreign land.

FOREX
 FOREX is between two currencies is the rate at which one currency will be
exchanged for another. It is also regarded as the value of one country’s
currency in terms of another currency.
 Exchange rates are determined in the foreign exchange marketwhich is open to
a wide range of different types of buyers and sellers where currency trading is
continuous: 24 hours a day except weekends. The spot exchange rate refers
to the current exchange rate. The forward exchange rate refers to an
exchange rate that is quoted and traded today but for delivery and payment on
a specific future date

Health Regulations/Health Emigration/Health certificates

Medical emergencies can cause serious havoc with one’s travel plans. The case of
Ebola Virus in present time or SARS virus few years back are testimony to the fact
that medical emergencies can change one’s travel plans. Although as a travel agent
or a tourist we cannot predict all the medical fatalities that can happen while on a
visit abroad yet for few countries it is mandatory to meet certain medical
requirements before travelling to their country. A list of vaccines and other medical
requirements for the prospective tourists are provided to the tourist when he/ she
can apply for a VISA. These medical requirements mostly refer to vaccines against
certain diseases and a tourist will have to submit a health certificate by recognised
medical practitioner while applying for VISA.
For example– for few countries in African and South American continent it is
mandatory for a tourist to have Yellow fever vaccination which is a fatal disease. This
vaccination’s validity is for 10 years.

(A) For entry into India:-

Any person, Foreigner or Indian, (excluding infants below six months) arriving by air
or sea without a vaccination certificate of yellow fever will be kept in quarantine
isolation for a period up to 6 days if :

 He arrives in India within 6 days of departure/transit from a yellow fever

endemic area.
 Has come on a ship which has started from or transited at any port in a yellow
fever endemic country within 30 days of its arrival in India provided such ship
has not been disinfected in accordance with the procedure laid down by WHO.

(B) For leaving India:-

There is no health check requirement by Indian Government on passengers leaving

India.
Persons leaving for a yellow fever infected area are advised in their own interest to get
themselves vaccinated and to be possession of valid yellow fever vaccination
certificates before they leave the country.
An administrative Arrangement for the health control of sea, air and land traffic
exists between the Government of India and the Government of Bangladesh. It
implies that ,if any aircraft or ship or land traffic from a third country arrives first at
any airport or port or border check post in either of the agreement countries and
then directly (without touching any other third country enroute) reaches the second
country of the agreement, all health checks will be completed in the country of first
arrival and the travellers will be exempted from any further health check on arrival in
the second country.

Persons exempted from production of vaccination certificate :

The under mentioned persons are exempted from production yellow fever vaccination
certificate:

 Infants below the age of six months.

 Any person suffering from some chronic illness and has poor resistance and is
thereby exempted from being vaccinated.
 Crew and passengers of an aircraft transiting through an airport located in
yellow fever infected area provided the Health Officer is satisfied that such
persons remained within the airport premises during the period of stay.

Countries regarded as yellow fever infected

The following countries are regarded as yellow fever endemic :

Africa:

Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad,
Congo, Cote d' Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia,
Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali,
Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South
Sudan,Togo, Uganda.

South America:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Suriname,

Trinidad (Trinidad only), Venezuela, Panama, Paraguay, Peru.

 A Yellow fever vaccination certificate is valid only if it conforms to the model. The
validity period of international certificate of vaccination or re-vaccination against
yellow fever is 10 years, beginning 10 days after vaccination.
 Foreign nationals residing or who have passed through the Yellow fever endemic
countries during the preceding six days, are granted visas only after the
production of vaccination certificate of Yellow Fever. After checking the
vaccination certificate an entry reads as “Valid Yellow Fever Vaccination
Certificate Checked” is made in the passport of the foreig

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Currency Regulation

Banker’s Buying Rate (BBR)

Means the rate at which, for purpose of the transfer of funds through banking
channels (i.e. other than transactions in bank notes, travellers cheques and similar
banking instruments), a bank will purchase a given amount of foreign currency
exchange for one unit (or units) of the national currency of the country, in which the
exchange transaction takes place. Note: Where no such banker’s rates are available,
the rates published by the IATA Clearing House may be used in lieu of such bankers
buying rates. The applicable banker’s rates or the sources where such rates
applicable will be published weekly or monthly by the carriers.

Banker’s Selling Rate (BSR)

Means the rate at which, for the purpose of transfer of funds through banking
channels (i.e. other than transactions in bank notes, travellers cheques and similar
banking instruments), a bank will sell a given amount of foreign currency in
exchange for one unit (or units) of the National currency of the country, in which the
exchange transaction takes place.

Country of Commencement of Transportation: The country from which

travel on the first international sector takes place.

Country of Payment: The country where payment is made by the purchaser to

 the carrier or its agent.

Currency of the Country of Payment: The currency in which international

fares are denominated.

Date of Transportation: The date of issuance of the ticket, MCO or PTA.

Local Currency Fares: Fares and related charges expressed in the currency of
the country of commencement of travel.

Currency Import regulations:

Foreign currencies : unlimited. However, amounts exceeding USD 5,000.- (or
equivalent) in cash, or USD 10,000.- (or equivalent) in traveler's cheques must be
declared;
Local currency (Indian Rupee-INR): Import of INR is prohibited, except for residents
of India importing up to INR 7,500.-.

Foreign currencies include currency notes, traveler's cheques, cheques, drafts etc.
(Re)exchange only through banks and authorized money exchange points.

Currency Export regulations:

Foreign currencies : up to the amount imported and declared.
Local currency (Indian Rupee-INR): INR 7,500.- for residents of India, except when
departing to Bhutan and Nepal. For residents departing to Bhutan and Nepal: no
limit in amount of INR but notes no bigger than INR 100.- may be carried.

Foreign currencies include currency notes, traveler's cheques, cheques, drafts etc.
(Re)exchange only through banks and authorized money exchange points.

Customs Regulations
Import regulations::
Free import by non-residents. Is only permitted if they enter India for a stay of not
less than 24 hours, not more than 6 months, and not more than once a month.
a. persons of 17 years of age and older: 100 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 125 grams of
tobacco; 2 liters of alcoholic liquor or wine;
b. medicines in reasonable quantities;
c. 2 ounces of perfume and 1/4 liter of toilet water;
d. jewelry, up to a combined value of INR 50,000.- for male travelers or INR 100,000.-
for female travelers;
e. travel souvenirs imported by:
- nationals and residents of India or if being of Indian origin and being over 9 years of
age:
- if returning from Bhutan, China (People's Rep.), Myanmar or Nepal: up to INR
6,000.- if stayed outside for more than 3 days. If stayed outside up to 3 days: nil.
- if returning from other countries: up to INR 45,000.- if stayed outside for more than
3 days. If stayed outside up to 3 days: INR 17,500.-.
For persons under 10 years of age:
- nationals of, or being of origin, Bhutan and Nepal and coming from respective
countries: nil. If coming from other countries: up to INR 8,000.-
- nationals of, or being of origin, Pakistan and coming from Pakistan: up to INR
6,000.-. If coming from other countries: up to INR 8,000.-.
- all other nationals: up to INR 8,000.-. If coming from Pakistan: up to INR 6,000.-.
f. goods for personal use.

Goods in excess of the maximum permitted amount will be subject to an import duty
of 60%.

Arms and Ammunition regulations::

Prohibited for non-residents of India: import of firearms and more than 50 cartridges.

Additional Information on regulations::

Remote controlled drones and helicopters: import is allowed with a WPC license
issued by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

Seeds and plants: the import of seeds and plants for the purpose of sowing, planting
and propogation, consumption, research and breeding requires an import permit.
Import is restricted to the airports of Amritsar (ATQ), Bengaluru (BLR), Chennai
(MMA), Delhi (DEL), Guwahati (GAU), Kolkata (CCU), Mumbai (BOM), Patna (PAT),
Hyderabad (HYD), Thiruvananthapuram (TRV), Tiruchchirapalli (TRZ), Varanasi
(VNS).

Livestock and livestock products: the import of these, by any means including
cargo or baggage is restricted and requires a sanitary import permit, as well as a "No
Objection Certificate" (NOC). A NOC must be obtained in advance from the Animal
Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS). Products include:
- meat and meat products of all kinds of fresh, chilled and frozen meat, tissue or
organs;
- egg and egg powder;
- milk and milk products;
- bovine, ovine and caprine embryos, ova or semen;
- pet foods of animal origin;
- gelatin, fur, animal skin, wool, leather, carpets, horns, bone and bone grist,
feathers, shuttle cock etc.
Prohibited: the following livestock and livestock products:
- all kinds of birds and bird products (incl. eggs, feathers, meat etc.); and
- pigs and pig meat products.

A minimum of 48 hours is required by the Airport Health Office for the importation of
human remains or ashes. A death certificate is also required (in English or translated
into English). A death certificate indicating cause of death as unknown or pending
will not be accepted.

Crew members customs regulations::

Gifts up to a value of INR 1,500.-.Crew members must declare all dutiable goods on
the PPL (Private Property List).

Pets::
Cats and Dogs: import of a max. of two pets as baggage is allowed only:
a. through Bengaluru (BLR), Chennai (MAA), Delhi (DEL), Kolkata (CCU), Mumbai
(BOM) and Hyderabad (HYD); and
b. if a pet is being (re-)imported by an owner who is transferring residence to India,
after a minimum two years of continuous stay abroad; and
c. upon presentation of health certificates from country of origin. The health
certificate must contain name/address of the passenger in both country of origin as
well as country of arrival.The name of the owner mentioned on the health certificate
must match with the name on the ticket; and
d. if holding a "No Objection Certificate (NOC) arranged at least 7 days prior to import
from the Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS); and
e. after Quarantine Officer examination upon arrival.
In all other cases, a license from DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) is
required.

Baggage Clearance regulations::

Baggage is cleared at the first airport of entry in India.

Exempt: baggage of transit passengers with a destination outside India.