Omicron fear once again impacting tourism and hospitality industry

Monday, December 6, 2021

During Covid-19 pandemic, tourism and hospitality industries were the worst-affected sectors. Recently, after a decline in the number of cases and high vaccination numbers, these sectors were making gradual recovery; however, the fear of Omicron is once again inviting fear for those in the hospitality industry, with many tourists canceling their advance bookings and hotel room reservations.

Tourism industry stakeholders said that December 15 to January 5 is the peak tourism period. However, now with the emergence of Omicron variant, many tourists might not visit this year.

C NarayanaGowda, Mysuru District Hotel Owners Association president, said that for the tourism sector, this period is vital. “In the last couple of days, around 30% of the advance bookings have been cancelled, while the number of tourists arriving here has come down by 50%,” Gowdasaid.

“Unverified information is causing problems for the tourism sector. We request people not to panic,” he added.
B S Prashanth, honorary president of Mysuru Travels Association, said, “Many are cancelling their foreign package trips after this new variant emerged. We are witnessing the effect of the new variant, due to unverified information being spread.”

AlthoughKodagutourism has not witnessed any decline or cancelation since the Omicron variant emerged, tourists are choosing not to travel. B G Ananthashayana of the Coorg Homestay Association said that there are no cancelations. “However, we are getting calls regarding the present scenario. People are panicking due to the news about the new variant,” he said.

Old Mysuru is quite popular for tourism during Christmas and New Year, with large number of tourists visiting to enjoy and relax.

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