Hoteliers scale down New Year celebrations

Tribune News Service
Amritsar, December 16

Those waiting to welcome 2021 in high spirits have to stay indoors as the state government recently extended night curfew (10 pm to 5 am) till January 1, 2021, besides a limit on social gatherings has been reduced to 100 for indoor events and 250 for outdoor events.

The decision has not gone down well with hotel and club owners in the city, who were already reeling under the impact of the lockdown imposed in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Hoteliers decided not to organise specific events and only provide scaled-down celebrations for only in-house guests.

Akshina, manager, Hyatt Regency, said, “In current situation, we can only hope that people will get bookings done for staycation. Organising an event is not feasible on the New Year eve. Moreover, cap on number of guests allowed will have to be kept in mind.”

With hospitality sector witnessing 50 per cent decrease due to the pandemic, most hotels and clubs would only provide early dinner to guests on the New Year’s eve.

Sukhdev Singh, manager, Service Club, said, “All the bookings for New Year celebrations have been cancelled. We will be offering dinner service till 9.30 pm for our club members. Usually, celebrities used to perform on the New Year’s eve, but in given scenario, its not possible.”

Heritage Club, too, would be organising evening celebrations from 5 pm to 9 pm.

Domestic destinations favourite among locals

Many residents in the city are choosing popular domestic tourist destinations to ring in the New Year. While Goa remains the top pick, nearest hill stations, including Dharamshala and Dalhousie are on the list of locals. Vinod Gupta, a travel agent, said, “As people are avoiding to travel abroad due to the pandemic, domestic tourist destinations where there are no night restrictions are being preferred for the New Year celebrations.”