The revised protocol and easing of restrictions by Karnataka, removing the need for the 14-day quarantine has been welcomed by hotels in the state.
“Karnataka lifting the quarantine for all visitors to the state is welcome news. This will enable both corporate and leisure customers to travel to Bengaluru and other places for well-deserved breaks and more importantly allow them to resume the transaction of business which has taken a beating across all sectors. This would certainly give a fillip to the travel and tourism industry.
At ITC Hotels Bangalore, we look forward to hosting guests at our iconic properties at ITC Gardenia, ITC Windsor and Welcome Hotel Bengaluru for Safe Staycations, Weddings, and other social events and getaways,” said Zubin Songadwala, Area Manager South, ITC Hotels, and General Manager, ITC Grand Chola.
“The Govt. of Karnataka has been very progressive in their approach towards the revival of the economy within the state. The restrictions in place were adversely impacting supply chains, thereby causing disruption to economic activity as well as employment.
The government’s current announcement to ease these restrictions is seen as a positive boost which will enable our industries to resume operations with necessary precautions in place for safe business.
The hospitality industry has witnessed green shoots in the revival of business over the last month. I am certain that with this approach, and the easing of restrictions, travel between states will slowly resume leading to overall growth in occupancies and will be a boost to our economy,” added Somnath Mukherjee, Area Director – Karnataka and General Manager – Taj West End, Bengaluru.
Welcoming the news, Visheshwar Raj Singh, Vice President General Manager The Oberoi, Bengaluru said, “I am sure that this initiative will encourage more movement into the city, especially from business travelers. In the last few months, our room business has been primarily driven by leisure travelers and staycations. This change in policy is likely to boost hotel occupancies across Bengaluru city. Of course, we will continue to enforce our world-class hygiene and sanitation protocols, to ensure that the health and safety of our guests and employees are not compromised.”
“It's a very important first step to the opening up of our economy. Ease of traveling will result in reduced stress on the travel and hospitality sector. We hope to see at least the domestic travel return immediately,” said Kunal Chauhan, General Manager, Leela Palace Bengaluru.
The news was a fillip for travel to the state and in turn help drive increased demand for hotel rooms, said Amaan Kidwai, General Manager, ITC Gardenia in Bengaluru, adding, “Across ITC Hotels, we have ensured the highest levels of health, hygiene and safety standards through the WeAssure program. We hope that our commitment to the safety of our employees and guests, coupled with seamless travel, will help build the confidence of travelers and revive domestic travel in the immediate future.”
As per the revised protocol based on the Unlock 3 regulations of the Government of India, Karnataka has announced the removal of all restrictions like mandatory registration on Seva Sindhu portal, medical check-up on entry through road, rail or air, special screening at the district centers, categorization of travelers, hand stamping, 14-day mandatory quarantine, and isolation and testing of inter-state travelers. The state will also do away with the enforcement of home quarantine including pasting posters on the house gates of such people.
The revised protocol issued for the government by the Additional Chief Secretary for Health Family Welfare Department says that the new protocol will be applicable to inter-state travelers for business, students, laborers, and transit travelers.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) while drawing attention to the instructions to ‘Para 5’ of the Unlock-3 guidelines of July 29, 2020, had asked all state governments to remove all kinds of restrictions on the interstate and intra-state travel last week.
News Courtesy: ET
