Tirupati: Hospitality industry in doldrums

Tirupati: Even after one month of reopening of hotels and restaurants after Unlock-1, the hospitality industry is still struggling to regain its lost business.

With almost zero business, the hoteliers are sceptical of their prospects and feel that it would take at least another two years to gain the lost business as people fear restaurants in view of the corona pandemic.

It has even affected employment in the hotel industry. The hoteliers were saying that at least 75 percent have lost their employment during this pandemic. About 50 percent of these workers are from North India who went back to their places during the lockdown as they see a bleak future here in the next few months. Others lost employment purely on economic principles that the hotels have lost major share of their patronage. Vice President of State Hotels Association KV Chowdary told The Hans India that still only about 25 percent of hotels were opened. Even these hotels have been getting around 10 percent business.

As this is not economically feasible, many hotels are not yet opened. But some others opened just to keep their reputation and to support employees who have been working with them for long.

The situation in the restaurants is even more worrying. They need to prepare food in minimum quantities irrespective of the number of customers visiting the restaurants and it is getting wasted incurring huge loss to the hoteliers. People are not visiting hotels with Covid apprehensions unless it is essential. However, the take-away section is giving them a ray of hope, he explained. "Even if all the trains and buses are operated and the TTD allows full strength to darshan there may not be much improvement as long as Covid fears persist," he said. He said that the hoteliers are looking at both the Central and state government for some sops. They want waiver of interest on loans for six months and one year moratorium. By relaxing norms, they should be allowed to pay electricity charges for only utilised power. They seek municipal taxes and trade licenses to postpone for at least six months. These are essential for the industry to survive and not for individual benefits, he said.