Crisis-hit tourism industry pins hope on festive season

    Kolkata, Sep 13 (PTI) The tourism sector, crippled by
the COVID-19 pandemic, hopes to see some businesses in the
upcoming Durga puja and Diwali seasons with queries from
interested travellers coming in, officials of the industry
bodies said on Sunday.
    In the domestic and short-haul segments, people are
showing interest, Travel Agents' Federation of India (TAFI)
eastern region head Anil Punjabi said.
    "There is interest and queries are coming in about
destinations and safety measures, but these are yet to be
translated into bookings," he said, adding that people have
changed their priorities amid the COVID-19 crisis.
    "There will be businesses in the Durga Puja and Diwali
seasons with interest growing among people, though it is
likely to be much less than what it used to be in the previous
years," Punjabi told PTI.
    With people starting to learn to live with the
pandemic, at least some of them are likely to start travelling
with requisite safety measures, he said.
    The TAFI eastern region head said the tour operators
are providing people with all kind of information regarding
tourists' destinations and the safety of the places.
    A lot depends on how the COVID-19 situation emerges in
the next few days as people would not want any cancellation.
    "Bengal is a value-for-money destination and is safe
also," he said, expressing hope that domestic tourists would
travel during the holiday season.
    The reopening of Darjeeling hills to outsiders has led
to tourists making queries about bookings in different
destinations there for the Puja season, according to Raj Basu,
convenor of the Association for Conservation of Tourism.
    "Many destinations in Darjeeling hills and Dooars
forest in North Bengal are in village areas, which have around
70 per cent share of tourist footfalls," Basu told PTI.
    Since these places are spread across villages and are
not like hotels or resorts in urban centres, operators of
tourism clusters are being informed about safe practices.
    "Each cluster comprises around 12 to 15 villages. At
the meetings in each cluster, sensitisation is being done so
that the tourists, the operators as also the villagers stay
safe while livelihood is also earned," Basu said.
    He said safe practices and how to deal with any kind
of emergency situation are being described through workshops
to the village tourism operators in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and
Dooars areas. PTI AMR
BDC BDC

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)