Saturday, October 9, 2021
With fresh Covid-19 cases declining and with all economic sectors restarting their operations, the travel and tourism industry — hit hardest by the pandemic — is resting its hopes on Dasara holidays and the festive season to make up for the losses and revive fortunes.
On a positive note, the industry has witnessed a sharp increase in business over the past two months, with the number of people visiting tourist spots across Karnataka going up significantly after the government removedrestrictions on movement. Districts like Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada and Karwar, which have several major tourist spots, have been witnessing massive footfall, especially on weekends.
“The past month has been really good for hoteliers, homestay owners, and other allied businesses in the tourism sector,” said Tukaram, who runs a hotel in Chikkamagaluru. “Most hotels are seeing 50 to 60% occupancy which was a dream just four months ago. We hope the party will continue during the festive season too since families that have not ventured out of their homes for over a year now, are expected to set out on tours.”
Government-run Jungle Lodges and Resorts, comprising 16 properties across the state, has also been doing good business for the past couple of months. “Our occupancy rate for the past two months is around 50%, which is very good,” said Kumar Pushkar, MD, JLR. “We hope it improves during Dasara. The signs are already there in the form of an increasing number of enquiries.”
Cab and taxi owners are also seeing good times since bookings have gone up.
However, some players are apprehensive that the prevailing positive atmosphere may not last through the season. BG Ananthashayana, president, Coorg Homestay Association, said that theKodagu district administration has ordered shutting down of all tourist spots in the district from October 7 to 18 maintaining all Covid-19 precautions, which is a big setback to businesses.
Tags: Karnataka Tourism, Tourism news, Travel news
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
