HYDERABAD: Even though the Covid-19 pandemic has affected all sectors of the economy, the travel and tourism sector — which was among the worst-hit sectors in the State — is now showing signs of recovery and is likely to bounce back within the next few months.
After being locked inside their houses for almost a year, local tourists have started to hit the road. According to the State Tourism Department, there has been a drastic improvement in the local tourism in the State in the last few months. “A few local tourist destinations in the city are now getting footfall even higher than the pre-Covid era. Leisure and entertainment destinations like Lumbini Park and Sanjeevaiah Park in the city, along with boating services in Hussain Sagar and Durgum Cheruvu, have been getting more attention now,” said a senior official from the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation.
“In Lumbini Park, the footfall on weekends used to be around 1,000. Now, the footfall has increased to around 7,000. For boating activities in Laknavaram and Karimnagar, the Tourism Department used to collect a revenue of Rs 5 lakh on the weekends, which now has increased to Rs 6 lakh,” said the official.
According to another official, March to April is the ‘lean’ tourism period due to school exams. Despite this, the sector has been getting a fairly good response this year. “Local tour bus packages in the city have already begun. We are also getting a good responses from tourists going from Hyderabad to Tirupati, Sirisalam and Shirdi. However, due to the increasing Covid cases in Maharashtra, tourists going to Shirdi have decreased,” said the official.
Claiming that tourists are opting for private means of travel instead of public services due to the Covid scare, officials said that the department’s travel services are yet to gain momentum. Many tourists are scared to visit far off places or travel abroad, and are therefore choosing to explore more local destinations.
Good response for Haritha resorts
“Haritha resorts and hotels in Vikarabad and Warangal are almost full during the weekends. Eco-tourism spots at Eegalapenta and Taramati are in high demand. Business at Haritha restaurants is also likely to pick up pace in the next few months,” said an official