BHUBANESWAR: Muted it was but New Year celebration did not stop in Odisha. People did buck the trend and how!
Tired of being locked in for nearly two years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, families did find novel ways to welcome 2022 notwithstanding the government ban on congregations at public places including tourist spots on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and fear of the super mutant Omicron variant.
Almost all the hotels at State’s popular tourism destinations were packed with visitors who found new ways to celebrate.
Even as banquets, convention halls and pools were closed due to the government directive, the gatherings - both big and small - of families and friends were confined to hotel rooms, dining halls and courtyards.
Amongst the destinations, Puri witnessed the maximum tourist traffic with both luxury hotels and small lodges booked to their capacity.
The pilgrim town has at least 1,000 rooms in big hotels including luxury properties, and another 8,000 in standard hotels of different categories like budget accommodations, lodges and holiday homes.
“At least 98 per cent of the properties in all the categories are currently booked with domestic tourists. Although the government banned public congregations, people who have come here with their families and friends enjoyed the Zero Night and welcomed the New Year with good food and music in their rooms and common areas of the hotels”, said Puri Hotel Owners Association president Rama Krushna Das Mohapatra.
On Saturday, the crowd was as usual at the sea beach and outside Sri Jagannath temple for Patita Paban ‘darshan’. Earlier, the Jagannath temple administration had announced to close down the temple on December 31 and January 1.
A few kms away at the Marine Drive, Balukhanda and Konark, the hotels and nature camps were buzzing with activity even as the mirthful cacophony was missing. Avinash Rout and his group of five friends from Cuttack booked three cottages at an eco-stay on the Marine Drive on December 30 for five days. Although they had plans to picnic at Nuanai, the government notification came as a spoiler.
“Picnics might be banned but we are happy dining by the bonfire and camping together in the nights,” says the engineer from Bengaluru who is currently working from home.
In Bhubaneswar, star hotels saw denizens checking in earlier in the evening with families so that they could enjoy the Zero Night in company of their near and dear ones.
“Mass gathering is banned but we could book rooms with our friends and enjoyed till the morning. The hotel provided all the service. It was a different experience,” said a businessman of the Capital.
The celebrations were in the adherence to the government’s directive and Covid protocols.
However, though bookings done prior to the New Year’s eve were not cancelled, the only problem was government limiting restaurant timing to 10 pm.
“The guests who were in rooms enjoyed with their friends and families but restaurants and bars suffered a massive loss,” said JK Mohanty, Chairman of Hotels and Restaurants Association of Odisha and CMD Swosti Group.
Usually, restaurants get a business of 15 days on a single night on December 31. “It was also a Friday night which generally sees a lot of crowd in hotels. Had the government consulted the stake-holders, there would not have been such huge revenue loss”, he added.
The 150-odd home-stays and lodges in Gopalpur are all booked for New Year.
"Here too, all the tourists have limited themselves to beach visits and get-togethers in their rooms, rooftops and courtyards. Although our restaurant closes at 10 pm, we are providing them takeways," said Yasim who runs a homestay a few km away from the beach.
The tourist traffic also reached Koraput this year with new hotels coming up in the town besides, eco-retreat at Putsil and a nature camp at Pine forest.According to the Odisha Forest Development Corporation, there are 47 nature camps across the State and all of them are currently booked, with each camp having eight to 10 cottages.
“At nature camps, music or noise of any kind is banned. So people are mostly enjoying trekking, boating and bonfires together”, said an official of Ecotour Odisha.
Although the government restrictions might have toned down the celebrations, hoteliers are happy that the tourism business is back on its foot. Till September this year, the State received 20,99,147 domestic tourists and around 700 foreign visitors.
“If the current trend is any indication, we can safely say that the status of tourism will be back to pre-Covid days soon if the third wave has no or less impact”, said an official of the Tourism department.