Low-key Dasara in Mysuru cripples hospitality sector

Mysuru: The 10-day Mysuru Dasara festival from October 16-26 will be a low-key event this year due to Covid-19 pandemic.

During this time of the year, Mysore Palace is illuminated with nearly 100,000 bulbs from 7 pm to 10 pm on all days of the festival.

With no let-up in the number of infections across the southern state even five months after its outbreak in mid-March, the state-sponsored Dasara fete will be held on the lines of the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha's Puri on June 23 without people and tourists gathering to witness the grand spectacle. On the 10th day of the grand fest, a victory parade on caparisoned elephants is held from the Amba Vilas royal palace in the city centre to Bannimantap ground, to celebrate the triumph of good over evil.

The celebrations also mark the return of Hindu god Rama to Ayodhya after a triumphant victory over demon Ravana in Sri Lanka and the death of demon Mysasura by goddess Durga astride a tiger.

For the hospitality sector, the business is likely to be dull with fewer tourists visiting Mysuru for the festival. The hospitality sector in Mysuru is expecting only 20% footfalls. Already, more than 100 hotels and restaurants and 200 lodges have shut down their business due to lack of clientele.

The hotel association demanded special package to tide over the crisis. "Dasara Celebrations in Mysuru have been a grand affair for decades. For the first time years, the celebrations will be held on a subdued note. The tourism and hospitality sectors have been badly hit this time around.

Our concern is thousands of employees who work in the hotel industry. Hotel owners are ending up paying exorbitant rents and other expenses but with no or little income," C Narayana Gowda, president of Mysuru Hotel Owners' Association said.

As per reports, the tourism and hospitality sectors already lost a long season of summer, amounting to a cumulative loss of over Rs 1,000 crore. The industry people have recently opened their hotel and restaurant business after four month long wait.

"Dasara is the peak tourist season for the Mysuru city because. Hotels in Mysuru and Mandya around this time used to be booked for an entire month. We request the government should to support the industry with a special package. Hotel owners should be given loans of up to Rs 3 to Rs 10 lakh with low interest rates, relaxations in paying rents and EMIs," Narayana Gowda added.