Satyendra Siddhartha, May 16, 2020
News update: Sikkim, with no reported COVID-19 cases so far, has started preparing to revive its tourism sector that has been shattered due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, The Economic Times has reported.
Raj Basu, the tourism advisor to the Sikkim government, told the publication how important the tourism sector was for the state. Tourism is as important as air or water to Sikkim, he said.
Tourism is the largest employment-generating sector in Sikkim, said Basu, adding that seven out of every 10 families in the state are connected to tourism that generates a business of around 2,000 crore in a year.
As the COVID-19 crisis hit the sector badly, the state has started preparing a tourism revival plan, Basu was quoted as saying.
According to the report, the state – with a population of six lakh – has around 30,000 rooms to generate a lodging business of around Rs 6 crore a day with over 90 percent occupancy during its peak season — March to May. Around 1.5 lakh foreign and 15 lakh domestic tourists visit Sikkim every year. Of these, more than 50 percent of visitors come during this season, said the report.
Sikkim, which is a COVID-19-free state, had started preparing to prevent the outbreak of the novel coronavirus even before the virus was detected in the country. It started thermal scanning of every entrant on January 29, banned entry of foreigners on March 5 and finally sealed entry points for everyone on March 17, said the report citing tour operators.
The intervention of the state government for relief on the lease value for hotel properties that can balance interest for both owner and lease-holders is also requested, said the report.
The requests have been considered, and the Sikkim tourism minister has already directed additional chief secretary to correspond with concerned government departments for consideration on these requests, TD Bhutiya, Director – Department of Tourism Sikkim, told the publication.
Source: moneycontrol.com
