Second innings for tourism sector in two months

• 100 percent occupancy in hotels, resorts
• Allied sectors like travel, food, tourist guides upbeat

Mysore/Mysuru: The hospitality and tourism sectors along with its allied travel industry are upbeat as a series of holidays owing to festivals for the second time in two months have provided a fillip.

While a series of holidays on Apr. 13, 14, 15 and 16 resulted in jam-packed hotels, resorts and homestays, tourist places and full utilisation of over 3,000 travel vehicles, it is like a second innings now with weekend and holidays on Apr. 30, May 1, 2 and 3.  April 30 was a Saturday, coupled with May Day (Sunday) holidays and May 2 is Ramzan and Basava Jayanti Government holidays. May 3 is Akshaya Tritiya and the festival mood will be there till May 4.

 “All the 425 hotels and resorts including the ones on the city outskirts with over 10,500 rooms have 100 percent occupancy. This is like a second innings for us and is for the first time after COVID we are seeing this kind of rush,” Mysuru Hotel Owners Association President C. Narayanagowda told Star of Mysore this morning.

 “There are no rooms available even in star category hotels and there is heavy footfall at all eateries, hotels and restaurants, especially the well-known ones that serve Mysuru delicacies in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian categories. Many tourists are stranded at their hotels as taxis are not available for both long and short trips,” he added.

 Mysuru Travels Association President C.A. Jayakumar said that there are over 3,000 tourist cabs, maxi cabs and tempo-travellers in Mysuru and there has been an overwhelming response since Apr. 10. “We are helpless as the demand for travel has grown in leaps and bounds and all the vehicles have been booked by tourists in advance to destinations like KRS, Balamuri-Yedamuri, Kodagu, H.D. Kote, Nanjangud, Kabini, Nagarahole, Bandipur and even Talakad,” he said.

 Tourist guides are in great demand and tourists are waiting for them in queues at places like Mysore Palace, Srirangapatna and Daria Daulat. There are many guides available for Mysuru tour also. Many registered tourist guides, who had switched over to other jobs for survival including doing daily wages during lockdowns and restricted months, are returning to their profession and are hoping for the trend to continue. 

 As all the rooms are booked, there is extra demand in the food sector and online food delivery aggregators are making a killing by delivering delicacies straight to the hotel rooms.

“Hospitality, travel, food and accommodation sectors are interconnected and it provides employment to over 75,000 to one lakh jobs in Mysuru, both direct and indirect. We are witnessing 100 percent occupancy for four to five days in a row that too twice in two months indicates the pre-pandemic trend. Most of the losses incurred during lockdown have been recovered and the tourism sector is headed for a sure revival,” Narayanagowda added.