TravTalk India Online Magazine
Before the 2nd COVID wave, there were bookings for both the tour operators as well as hotels in Telangana, but things changed after that. However, the business is returning, and industry stakeholders finally see light at the end of the tunnel, as queries come not only for leisure, but for MICE and weddings as well.
K Ranga Reddy, Chairman, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Chapter, IATO, shared that after an initial surge post the 1st wave, business stopped when the 2nd wave hit the country. “Now bookings have increased to 5-7 per day,” he said.
Manish Dayya, General Manager – Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & Hyderabad International Convention Centre, agreed, saying, “There was a rise in business demand from domestic businesses and local corporate events before the 2nd wave.”
Domestic is a savior
Shobhit Sawhney, General Manager, Park Hyatt Hyderabad, claimed that they could achieve decent business recovery post nationwide lockdown was lifted during the first wave. “While international connectivity still was restricted, the hotel has seen month on month increase in domestic travel,” he added.
Domestic business acted as a saviour for all, claimed Sunil Kumar, President, UFTAA, who is based in Telangana. “Domestic has become a need now. Everyone who is well connected with our organisation and who used to earlier take international tours is now preferring to go for domestic tours. I see a big change as they are focusing on unexplored parts of India and opting for repeated visits & long stays. It’s a welcome change.”
Impact of 2nd wave
Dayya added, “Since domestic travel by local clients was not recommended to their employees, it impacted the meetings business. However, home delivery service from our all-day dining restaurant, picked up during the 2nd wave. Vivaah at Novotel also helped us to maintain business continuity in the absence of conferences and events. From July 2021, the market in Hyderabad started showing some positivity, with most hotels reporting decent occupancy levels. With vaccination drive increased footfall is seen in our restaurants and small and midsized events being organised.” For Park Hyatt Hyderabad too 2nd wave was difficult. “The business faced a strong rebound mainly through staycations, weddings, film shoots and corporate activity,” claimed Sawhney.
Moving forward
Reddy shares that they have queries, but out of 10, not even 2 are getting materialised, because in domestic business, people negotiate but finally book online.” Dayya said “With both the IT & Corporate sector welcoming fully vaccinated staff back to office, we expect some growth in business and MICE by 2021 end,” he added.
State issue
Reddy believes that travel is not an essential part of Indian culture. Also, he says, “In many states, including Telangana, tourism is not the priority. The budget allocation is limited for state-run hotels, staff, and their vehicles.” However, hotels claim that Telangana as a state has been most forthcoming in supporting
Sawhney shared, “The state government has taken measures to stabilise the economy. The recent launch of Pink book supported ease of doing business. Introduction of business hub in northern Hyderabad can act as a catalyst in growing economy.”
Reddy argues, “It’s the prime role of government to provide the funds for publicity.”
