New Delhi, The hotels and hospitality segment in India is likely to be severely affected due to the coronavirus outbreak and detection of the infection among few Indians and tourists coming into the country, sector experts said.
Speaking to IANS, Jaideep Dang, Managing Director of Hotels and Hospitality Group, JLL India, said that the effect of the crisis on the Indian hospitality sector may live longer than “we had expected”.
He was of the view the the occupancy rate may fall by over 15 per cent in the coming days.
Dang, however, said that hotels in the country are taking the required preventive measures to check and screen their guests. He was of the view that as summer arrives, things might turn better as it is said that such viruses do not survive or spread in high temperature.
In a major development, The Hyatt Regency hotel here on Tuesday asked its employees to self-quarantine themselves for 14 days after it came to light that a COVID-19 patient had dined at a restaurant in the hotel on February 28. However, the hotel was open to customers.
After Health Ministry officials were seen sanitising the hotel, the hotel management issued a statement saying that it is taking precautionary measures.
“Since receiving this news, as advised by the authorities, the hotel has enacted elevated precautionary operational protocols, including deep-cleaning measures in the restaurant, colleagues’ lockers and in all public areas, restaurants and meeting spaces across the hotel,” the statement said.
Besides, a day after an Italian couple tested positive for coronavirus in Rajasthan, 21 other members of the tour group have been shifted from a luxurious hotel to an ITBP quarantine centre here on Tuesday. Three Indians, who were reportedly assisting the Italian nationals during their India visit, have also been shifted to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp in west Delhi’s Chhawla area.
The Italians and the Indians were shifted from Grand Hotel in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, sources at the ITBP camp told IANS. “Alls the 24 people — 21 Italian tourists and three Indians — are being monitored by doctors. Their samples have been sent to AIIMS for coronavirus testing,” said the source.
About the impact on travel and aviation industry, Dang said that although India does not get too many travellers from China, the major impact has been felt after the restrictions and guidelines were put in place for inbound travellers from Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.
