Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Sep 2: The hotels and lodges which had close down when the lockdown was imposed, have opened thereafter but their businesses have taken a thorough beating. Over 50 small and medium-sized hotels and lodges in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district have permanently closed their doors, being unable to achieve even the breakeven.

Because of the high prevalence of corona, people are dithering from visiting hotels even now. Employees working in the government and private sector prefer to carry home-cooked food to offices or factories. A few take parcels from restaurants and in general, there is a 60 per cent drop in the number of customers.

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Every hotel needs cooks, suppliers, cleaners and other workers to maintain the hotel. Many migrant workers who were employed in hotels have not come back. Locals prefer to work elsewhere, but not hotels. Therefore, there is a shortage of workers and also customers. The owners find that running of hotels actually burns their own pockets. Most of the hotels are in rented buildings, and the owners say that the business amount does not even equal the rent payable, Many hotels have not reopened after the lockdown period.

A well-known hotel near the PVS circle in the city which used to do a brisk business in the past has not been functioning now. Two hotels and a juice centre located in Manasa Tower have been closed. Many hotels in the twin districts which offered lunch with fish items at reasonable rates have wound up business because of a shortage of customers. Many hotels which opened after the lockdown were forced to close the hotels as they could not manage the business. It is learnt that even star hotels have been able to get only 40 per cent business as the movement of tourists and dignitaries has fallen sharply. Udupi district Hotel Owners Association president Tallur Shivaram Shetty acknowledges that many hotels and lodges in the district have closed down as business after lockdown did not pick up. He said that without business, income and expenditure cannot be matched. Bars and restaurants were allowed to open for the public on September 1, and it is hoped that they will be able to do well, he said.

Dakshina Kannada district Hoteliers Association president Kudpi Jagadeesh Shenoy said that there is lack of tourists as flights, schools and colleges have not reopened. He said that hotel business has hope of recovering once these things return to normalcy. He expects the prevailing conditions to continue until the year-end.