Amritsar's hospitality sector gasping for breath

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 27

The second wave has left the hospitality sector gasping for breath and fear of a third wave has further compounded trouble for people involved in this trade.

Tourists visible during Parkash Purb are the ones who visit the city on their own vehicles for a single day. They hardly stay in hotels or do shopping.

As a result, rickshaw pullers, taxi drivers, dhabas and gift shops, among others have been unable to earn despite easing of restrictions by the district administration.

The city is known for its religious tourism. It’s home to the holiest Sikh shrine and historical landmarks, including Jallianwala Bagh, and beating retreat ceremony at Attari-Wagah joint check post.

Rajwinder Kaur, manager, Partition Museum, said, “Now, a few hundred persons visit the museum. Around 2,000 persons used to come daily before the onslaught of Covid-19.” The museum showcases belongings, poignant letters and other articles written by people caught in communal riots after the Partition. All the guidelines to combat the pandemic were being followed, she said.

Those engaged in the hotel industry have similar tales. Numerous people working in hospitaliy sector have been laid off as earnings decreased during the pandemic.

A hotelier, Surinder Singh, said the entire tourism, tour and travel industry, has been through recession. A hotelier committed suicide recently, he said. A large number of hoteliers were unable to pay their instalments, thus leading to bankruptcy, he said.

“Do not be misled by number of people gathering on the Golden Temple complex as majority of them come from within the state and on their own vehicles. They return to their native place by the evening. They do not offer us any business,” said Surinder.

Moreover, reopening of tourist spots, including the Partition Museum and Gobindgarh Fort, has failed to draw crowd. Thus, those engaged in this profession, demand resumption of flights and trains.

Rajesh Arora, a travel operator, said tempo travellers, taxis and buses, were gathering dust due to the want of tourists. “Earlier, tourists used to call us from different parts of the country to take them to Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The city has good train and air connectivity. Its proximity to hilly states figure it into a tourist circuit.”