Himachal tourism apprehending tough times due to Omicron scare

Published on : Saturday, December 11, 2021

Although Himachal hasn’t reported a single case of Omicron infection yet, the tourism industry is apprehending tough times, with tourists canceling their advance bookings.

Badly hit during the first and second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism industry is expecting losses due to the emerging Omicron variant.

After suffering losses for two years due to the pandemic, people involved in the travel and hospitality sectors were expecting good business this winter season. However, now their hopes are ruined again.

“Tourism was the worst hit in the last two years due to the pandemic. The industry was slowly coming back on track in the last two months but now the new variant has created a fear among tourists and we are also worried it would hit our business,” said Sanjay Sood, president of Shimla Hoteliers’ Association.

He said that tourists have started to cancel their advance bookings with the variant been reported in India as well.
This would not only hurt the business but also result in job loss that took place during the first and second wave, said Mr. Sood.

“Tourism in Himachal is the worst-hit sector. We were gradually on the path of recovery but the Omicron threat has made the visitors wary now,” said MK Seth, president, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Stakeholders Association.

Tourists coming to Himachal are also extra careful after the Omicron cases were reported in Delhi.

Tourism is the mainstay of Himachal’s economy. The sector contributes Rs. 12,000 crores to the state’s economy annually which is 7% of Himachal’s GDP.