The introduction of the 15-date night curfew in Mumbai and the imposition of mandatory institutional quarantine for incoming passengers from Europe, West Asia and South Africa has altered the holiday and New Year’s Eve celebration plans of the residents of the city.
The rules, announced Monday evening to stop the entry of a new variant of Covid-19 into the country, have become shock absorbers for the festivities and have left hoteliers and visitors mocked.
“There will be a big impact on hotels and restaurants, as New Year’s Eve party planning starts six months in advance. Event managers are committed, DJs are chosen, etc. Barot director Hotels and Vie Hospitality These payments are non-refundable, he added.
About 40% of the restaurants had remained closed due to a dispute with their tenants over the rent during the closure. This (evening) Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve event was an opportunity for hotels to generate some revenue and make up for last month’s losses, but the nocturnal curfew has put a key in all of these plans. , added.
Although restaurants are allowed to operate until 11.30pm in a normal courtyard, they will be forced to close at 11pm due to curfew.
“I do not understand the logic behind reducing the time from 23:30 to 11:00 now. This is what we achieve after offering everything we could: our rooms, food and services for the last eight months, he adds. It is a knee-jerk reaction when the number of cases in Maharashtra is under control, said Gurbax Singh Kohli, a spokesman for the Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Federation of India.
Quarantine measures also harm the travel industry.
With most countries restricting leisure travel, Dubai and the Maldives have been in high demand. Both destinations have been welcoming tourists since July. Many had planned to travel to Dubai during the Christmas holidays.
“We made several reservations in Dubai for Christmas and now they are being canceled. Also several of our customers from Europe and Western Asia have postponed their visit to Mumbai now. We hope the airlines offer refunds and exemptions to the affected customers. said Tina Kanuga, director of Bathija Travels.
Some tourists cut short their holiday in Dubai and returned on Tuesday before the new rules come into force.
“Eight of our customers were supposed to return on Friday, but they have come today to avoid the mandatory institutional quarantine. They have bought new flight tickets and reduced the holidays after spending only three days in Dubai. We are waiting for the return of the hotel, ”said Rajat Bagaria, joint secretary of the Federation of Travel Agents of India.
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