The Union Budget for 2003-04 on Friday brought good news for government employees, lifting the two-year freeze on Leave Travel Concession.

Restoration of LTC was a long pending demand of the tourism ministry as well as the industry.

Welcoming the decision, chairman of ASSOCHAM committee on tourism Subhash Goyal said, "This will give a major fillip to the domestic tourism in the backdrop of ongoing slowdown in the tourism industry globally."

PTI