Omicron bug may spoil NY eve party for resorts & travel firms

Nagpur: Amid inconclusive scientific data about the Omicron variant’s severity compared to Delta and whether vaccines work against it, raging speculations are thriving on social media and are already having a visible impact on the travel and hospitality industry.
The Christmas and New Year’s week is the biggest revenue spinner for both industries as people get into travel and party mode. But with Omicron’s entry, those with non-emergency travel plans seem to be taking a rain check.
Gaurav Choukasey, director of Olive Resorts that has multiple properties in Pench, said, “In Pench, many resorts are either seeing cancellations or delay in confirmation from clients from outside. This was on expected lines because speculation about Omicron is currently more towards the negative side. But in Pench we are a bit lucky as Nagpur is a big market in itself. Being so close to the city, Pench has been the preferred choice for Nagpurians so any business that we lose from outstation clients is being covered by locals.”
Sandeep Singh, director of Tribal Camp and Tiger Camp Resorts in Pench, said due to Omicron, guests have started rasing doubts. “Doubts are related to travel requirements and what protocols need to be followed while crossing state borders. There’s uncertainty over what restrictions the government will put in place, and that’s never a good thing for business,” said Singh.
Ravi Agrawal gets to see both sides of the tourist spectrum as he owns both a travel agency and two resorts. The director of Voyage Global Journeys said, “By the time we have proper information about Omicron, our travel season will be gone. There has definitely been a major impact on bookings because many have put their plans on hold. People want to travel, but nobody wants to get stuck because of protocols which may come into effect in the near future.”
Travel Agents’ Association of India’s (TAAI) Nagpur chapter chairman Rajesh Agrawal said the state government’s flip-flop in policy is scaring travellers. “First Maharashtra said RT-PCR will be mandatory regardless of the vaccine status. Then they changed it after facing the heat from various stakeholders. More than the virus, it is the state government’s confusing stance that’s hurting our business. People don’t want to move out of the state because upon their return might end up facing some unreasonable rules,” said Agrawal.