The impact of Covid-19 is all too visible in the popular tourist destination of Nainital. In the past years, all hotels and inns from Nainital to Munsyari used to get packed with tourists by December 20 for Christmas and New Year celebrations. However, this year the bookings have been limited to about 10 per cent. Tourists from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Gujarat and other parts of India used to arrive in the mountains by this time. However, this time the number of arrivals is quite less and comprises mostly visitors from nearby areas. In Nainital city, there are about 500 hotels and guest houses, more than 100 gift centres and restaurants and a number of boat operators and horse owners who rely on tourists for their livelihood. The trend of celebrating New Year in the mountains picked up after 1998. As a result, those in the hospitality and other tourism related trades started providing attractive packages to tourists.
Additional district magistrate Kailash Singh Tolia said that in case the parking in Nainital gets full, vehicles will be stopped at Baldiyakhan and Rusi bypass from where tourists will be brought to the city by shuttle service. Tourists who have made bookings in hotels with parking facility will be allowed to enter in their vehicles. Tourists arriving from other states will undergo thermal screening and Covid test. The Covid guidelines will be strictly implemented in various celebratory programmes, he added.
The Nainital hotel and restaurant association head Dinesh Sah said that a number of tourists have arrived due to the weekend and Christmas. However, visitors are uncertain about new year’s eve due to the Covid test. He said that tourists are making inquiries for new year’s eve but are anxious in view of the Covid test. The vice president of the association, DS Bisht said that the district administration had informed the high court that thermal scanning is being done and those exhibiting symptoms are being tested for Covid-19. However, he claimed that according to the information being provided by the administration to some national media, visitors will not be allowed to enter the city without a Covid negative test report which is wrong and confusing the tourists. He said that the authorities should issue clear guidelines.
Shervani hotel general manager Gopal Datt said that Covid had badly affected the hotel business in Nainital. It was being hoped that business would pick up during Christmas and new year celebrations but the pandemic has affected the arrival of tourists.
Hotel Manu Maharani general manager Naresh Gupta said that no special programme is being organised for tourists on new year’s eve this time due to Covid-19. Ahead of December 31, about 20 per cent of the rooms have been booked in the hotel, he said.
Thursday, 24 December 2020 | Afzal Hussain Fauji | Nainital
