The ban on international commercial flights has been extended by the civil aviation ministry till the end of July — a decision that is at odds with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s plan to issue 5 lakh free visas to foreign tourists to help the tourism industry get back in business.

The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a circular on Wednesday that the ban on international commercial flights has been extended till July 31. The ban was to end on June 30 after a 15-month gap. Dedicated cargo flights, flights under the bilateral air bubble pacts with select countries will continue to operate, the civil aviation watchdog said.

Etihad, meanwhile, has suspended all flights from India till July 21.

Sitharaman had tried to lure tourists from abroad by waiving the tourist visa fee to five lakh tourists or till March end, whichever is earlier. She claimed that the financial implication of the tourist visa fee waiver would be Rs 100 crore.

Around 10.93 million foreign tourists visited India in 2019 and spent $30.098 billion on leisure and business, Sitharaman had said.

A foreign tourist spends 21 days in India on an average and spends around $34 daily.

Sources in the tourism sector said Europe, Australia and Canada have issued travel advisory asking citizens not to travel to India because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In the absence of a date for the issuance of e-tourist visas and of the resumption of scheduled international flights, we cannot revive tourism and free visas will be meaningless.

“Tourists who are spending on air fare can easily pay for the visa fee. This will only benefit tourists from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The money could have been used to give grants to tourist guides and tourism workforce,” Subhash Goyal, president of the Confederation of Tourism Professionals of India, said.

The government has also announced a scheme for the industry, under which Rs 10 lakh loan will be given to travel agencies, while registered tourist guides will be eligible for a loan of Rs 1 lakh.

Sanjay Sharma, president of the Tour Guides Federation of India, said: “There is no business at all. Our guys have not earned a penny over the last one-and-a half year. A lot of us have already taken loans for automobiles or houses. The government is trying to make a mockery of us by announcing this package.”