Rajamahendravaram: Hospitality sector suffers a blow in City of Culture

Rajamahendravaram: The hospitality sector across East Godavari district as well in the cultural capital of the State suffered a huge blow due to lockdown for over three weeks now. The Grand City of Culture is a hub for tourism which was well connected with rail, road and airways. Because of this hundreds of tourists who want to visit various tourist centres in the district stay in the city.

The tourists plan their tour programme making the city as central point and again reach the city in the evening because of the facilities available here. Rajamahendravaram is having five star category hotels such as River Bay, La Hospin, Shelton, Jetti Grand and Anand Regency and about 200 medium and other luxury hotels having about 1,400 rooms. About 3,500 employees are working in the sector including those working in administrative wing, kitchen staff, housekeeping and other category workers.

The hotel owners are in a state of confusion overt the future of hospitality sector and workers in the sector also are in doldrums over their livelihood after the lockdown is lifted. Hotel owners wonder how long it would take them to revive the sector.

Meanwhile, Dindi Resorts at Dindi village, Haritha Resorts in Kakinada and Signature Resorts in Maredumilli of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corproation (APTDC) were also closed. A hotel owner opined that it will take nearly one year to get back into routine business, as tourists cannot come immediately after lifting of the lockdown and it is also a difficult task to maintain the existing staff because of financial problems.