Hyderabad: The city recorded a drastic fall in the arrival of tourists. There are plans to disregard figures and statistics of the year 2020. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, a lock-down was declared prior to the first quarter which continued till the end of the second quarter. But still, the normalcy has not returned as far as the tourists’ influx to the city is concerned, a report in a local newspaper said.
“Absence of tourists at the historical and other tourist places is conspicuous. Only the local people are visiting these places,” the report said. “The traders at these places have not seen any improvement in their businesses and their economic woes continue. The hotel industry is still reeling under the lock-down impact. There is less than 35% occupancy in the hotels across the city which is also reflecting on restaurants’ business. The restaurant is also feeling the heat as their overhead expenditures are increasing while there is no boost in their incomes.”
“Before the lock-down, there was a good influx of the tourists to the city in addition to the businessmen who were staying in the hotels and taking their meals in the restaurants. But due to the current situation, there is a 60% decrease in their arrivals,” the report said.
The report said the owners of hotels and restaurants are planning to meet the government officials to seek exemptions from GST and other taxes in order to offset the losses suffered by them in the wake of lock-down. Apart from representing with the government officials, the hotel and restaurant owners are considering to revive those hotels and restaurants which were closed down due to the lock-down. “There is a strong indication of the normalcy returning to the tourism industry by the influx of tourists and traders to the city in future. The owners are appealing the government to cooperate with them to tide over this difficult phase,” the report said.
