Tourism Suffers In Wake Of COVID-19, Hoteliers Request Govt For Waivers

The beaches and hotels are empty due to COVID-19.

Bhubaneswar: The hospitality and tourism industry has been hit hard by coronavirus. Strict measures such as closing of all public places, schools, colleges and universities and Section 144 at some places are just some of the measures taken by the state government to fight corona.

With no tourists, domestic, from other states and international ones, hoteliers are feeling the pinch. On Wednesday, they sought the state government’s help in overcoming the financial crisis.

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO), a body of private hotels, sent a memorandum to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

“We appreciate the steps taken by the state government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Odisha. The HRAO pledges full support to the government. But the travel, trade and hotel industry of Odisha is going to bear a huge financial burden as many inbound tourists are cancelling their bookings,” HRAO Chairman JK Mohanty said

Bookings for conferences, banquets and marriages have also been cancelled in most hotels, he added.

He appealed to the Odisha Government to advise banks to defer

“We also have taken loans from banks. In the current situation, it seems difficult for us to pay interest and EMIs. The Odisha government should advise the banks to the payment of their EMIs and interests till the situation  gets normal.

The HRAO also requested the government to waive state GST till normalcy is restored.