'Allow tourist spots to stay open with 50% footfall'

Amitava Banerjee  |  MP  | 5 Jan 2022 | DARJEELING: Tourism stakeholders have made an appeal to the state government to allow tourist spots to function with 50 per cent of the normal footfall. 

Addressing media persons, Sandipan Ghosh of Eastern Himalayan Travel and Tour Operators Association (EHTTOA) stated: "We request the government to reconsider decision to keep all tourist spots closed. We appeal to the government to allow them to open up with up to 50 per cent of the daily footfall, stringently maintaining all Covid protocols." 

Ghosh stated that tourist spots where there is a ticket system, one knows of the daily footfall count. 

"In such places like the Zoo, HMI, War Memorial if 50 per cent of the tourists are allowed, the tourism industry that is just witnessing signs of recovery can continue to heal," added Ghosh. 

He stated that with destinations open but tourists spots all closed, tourists were leaving. 

"On January 1, occupancy in hotels and home stays in Darjeeling was about 100 per cent. On January 4, after all the tourist spots closed down, occupancy has turned nil," claimed Ghosh. 

EHTTOA has decided to meet District Magistrates of 5 districts in the next few days and submit a memorandum to this effect to the Chief Minister through the District Magistrates. "Tourism industry in this region is very big. 

We contribute a large amount to the GDP. There are thousands of stakeholders. It is the backbone of the economy of this region. The last two years have been devastating for the tourism industry. However the industry was gradually healing with a good tourist flow for the past two and a half months" stated the General Secretary. 

The inflow of tourists would have continued till January 15 but came to a halt abruptly owing to the growing Covid cases resulting in the restrictions. 

Lodge owners, taxi operators and guides of the Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts have also raised the demands that forests be opened up for a limited number of tourists to sustain tourism in that region. 

http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/allow-tourist-spots-to-stay-open-with-50-footfall-464012