Sanjeev K. Sharma
JAMMU, June 4: The ongoing second wave of deadly COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions triggered by it has pushed the tourism sector of J&K into severe crisis and the stakeholders attached to it like hoteliers, travel agencies and others continue to grapple with the sinking business to survive.
As the number of tourists visiting J&K Union Territory witnessed a sharp decline right from August 5, 2019 when the Union Government abrogated Article 370 giving special status to J&K and bifurcated it into two Union Territories—J&K and Ladakh, the advent of deadly COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020 and lockdown triggered by it further put the business linked with tourists to more losses which in turn resulted in unemployment to lakhs of people.
Sources informed that there are approximately 350 hotels in Jammu district alone which have been badly affected by the situation resulting out of the pandemic and restrictions triggered by it leading to massive unemployment.
“The little income few hotels are making at present is the earnings from their banquets as restaurants are shut and the staff is almost on leave,” Pawan Gupta—president of Jammu based hoteliers said.
“If third wave comes then we may even face survival threat as the second wave has already broken the back of hoteliers and the Government has not even bothered to pay a visit to us to know our miseries,” he said adding: “Though the business of hoteliers is staying at zero at present, yet they have to incur electricity bills and other running expenses of the business.”
Gupta said that people across the country are not planning tourist activities but preferring to stay at home as panic of Corona has widely spread everywhere.
“While in Kashmir the affected people like Shikarawalas and others linked with tourism activities have been compensated, nothing of that sort has happened in Jammu barring a few porters and ponywalas of Katra who received some relief from the Government,” he maintained.
Raman Sharma, president of an organization of travel agencies said, travel agencies totally depend on tourists and pilgrims for their business.
He informed that tourists have started visiting J&K and many bookings were also made with the travel agencies last year as the lockdown was almost removed in the last months of the year 2020.
“Even by March this year we were making good number of bookings and have even booked thousands of Amarnath-2021 pilgrims,” Sharma said adding that as restrictions following second wave of COVID-19 were clamped, people have started cancelling their bookings thereby putting the travel agencies in trouble as many of these agencies have spend the booking money they had received from the tourists.
“When authorities announced Amaranth Yatra registration this year we started making bookings for Amaranth pilgrimage and spend lakhs of rupees on registration process,” Raman Sharma maintained.
He also said that the authorities should come clear on Amarnath pilgrimage so that the travel agencies may inform the same to the pilgrims who have made bookings with these agencies as these pilgrimscontinuously call them and enquire about developments regarding the pilgrimage.
The popular Raghunath Bazar of Jammu having hotels and about 350 shops selling dry fruits, shawls, handicrafts, garments etc is also facing severe losses.
When contacted, Surinder Mahajan, leader of Raghunath Bazaar Businessmen Association said business in the bazaar is facing severe losses for the last about three years as tourism of J&K is badly hit by the COVID pandemic and political developments after August 5, 2019.
He said that Amaranth Yatra, Budda Amaranth Yatra, Machail Yatra, Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra and other pilgrimages in J&K are badly affected since August 5, 2019 leaving traders and other attached with pilgrimage and tourism suffer losses.
Mahajan also said that turn-wise opening of shops as per new guidelines is a good step but it will not bring the business back on track as only local customers are visiting the market and no tourist or pilgrim is here due to Coronavirus.
“Despite closure of the market, shopkeepers have paid power bills for the closed business establishments. Government should have helped these traders at least by waiving off their power bills or by some other such means,” he said.
“There is no policy with the Government for development of tourism in Jammu as the heritage places of Jammu like Mubarak Mandi, ancient temples etc are not properly developed and maintained here,” Mahajan maintained.
Rakesh Kumar, president of Dry Fruit Sellers Association Katra when contacted informed that the pilgrimage at Mata Vaishno Devi Ji has increased a little bit and the shops in the market are allowed to open in turn-wise manner.
“Though the pilgrimage has increased and even the frequency of chopper flights has gone up yet the normalcy is miles away for business,” he said.
Similarly, tourism at famous hill station Patnitop is badly affected but the concerned persons opined that it may pick some pace due to the summer season and present easing of restrictions by the authorities.
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