Hoteliers seem unconvinced due to a lack of clarity: Uttarakhand!

Under Unlock 4.0, various state tourism boards are coming up with schemes to attract tourists and revive the tourism sector. The government of Uttarakhand has launched an initiative called Tourist Incentive Coupon, where the state is offering INR 1000 reimbursement to tourists for their accommodation. The offer, however, is only applicable to those who do a three-day online booking at any hotel or homestay in the state. The state has also removed the cap of 2,000 visitors a day.

The decision on the pilot project was finalized at a cabinet meeting where the government discussed refunding tourists who had advance bookings at the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve. Apparently, the national park is still shut because of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, hoteliers in the state are not very excited due to a lack of clarity on the scheme.

“Yes, the Tourism Minister of Uttarakhand has proposed the cashback/coupon of INR 1000, however no final order or notification has been formally received. We don’t think that this initiative will be beneficial in increasing the traffic moment to Uttarakhand as travelers these days are well-informed and well-traveled,” said Dinkar Singh, owner at WelcomHeritage Kasmanda Palace.

Singh felt that a cashback promotion cannot motivate tourists to visit a particular holiday option. According to him, the facilities provided by the state and ease of travel in these difficult times will encourage travelers to opt for Uttarakhand compared to other states.

WelcomHeritage has recently introduced the ‘Passport to Travel’ initiative where travelers are informed in advance about travel guidelines of a state. Currently, only a few hotels in Uttarakhand are operational—those adhering to WHO guidelines are offering attractive packages to lure tourists.

“We hope that the government will bring more innovative schemes to encourage tourists to come and visit Uttarakhand and help the hospitality industry,” Singh said.

A homestay owner in Uttarakhand repeated the concerns put forward by the larger chains.

“The process of cashback will generate confusion amongst travelers and hoteliers. We are still clueless about the process. Do we need to leverage the discount or if it will be directly credited to the tourist’s account?” he queried while opting to stay anonymous.

Hospitality companies like the Leisure Hotels Group (LHG), with a considerable presence in the state, also unveiled the ‘Ghar se Ghar Tak’ initiative, offering end-to-end travel assistance for people interested in visiting any of their resorts, hotels, and villas across Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

News Courtesy: ET