Tourism industry hit despite change in quarantine norms

Neeraj Bagga

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 22

The tourism industry continues to remain in doldrums despite several changes in norms for the stay of visitors in the state.

A week after the government had exempted the visitors who were visiting the state for less than 72 hours from the mandatory home quarantine; there is a little change at the grassroots level. As per the changed norms, they only need to submit a formal undertaking at the border check-post.

APS Chatha, president, Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHARA), said it did not improve the room occupancy in all the categories of hotels in the city, which boasts of an array of luxury properties.

Earlier, the government had permitted hotels, along with malls, to resume functioning from June 8 but half of them here did not open. He stated that hotels like Ramada and Hyatt are yet to reopen.

He claimed that a large number of those, which had opened after June 8, have either closed or are on the verge of closing their units. He added that the business of take-away and home delivery had gained some success due to the demand generating from the local population but hotels do not run such commercial activities from their premises. So due to the want of customers, they were closing.

Piyush Kapoor, general manager of the Ritz Plaza Hotel, said they had not simply reopened the 55-year-old luxury property as no travelling was happening. He said the opening of a hotel meant that the expenditure on the establishment, power tariff, groceries, and other heads will immediately resume. On the other hand, there was no reason for people travelling from other states unless it was urgently required.