Local Tourism Bears The Brunt Of COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has broken the back of the tourism sector worldwide. Millions of people are employed every year in this sector, but this time everything has come to a standstill due to restrictions.

According to Manu Kochhar, a hotel owner in Dehradun, the hotel industry is badly affected. More than 2.5 lakh people have lost their employment in the state. The state government has not yet given permission to run the hotels.

Coronavirus has instilled fear among people that people are afraid to get out of their homes. Walking around and going out to restaurants and drinking food is also almost a thing of the past now.

Due to fear and restrictions, lakhs of people in the hilly states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, who heavily depend on tourism are bearing the brunt of restrictions imposed to avoid COVID-19 spreading.

According to the Uttarakhand government, more than three crore tourists come to the state every year, but this year there is no tourist so far. Tourism is the biggest source of employment in the state. In addition to hotels, transport, restaurants, guides, etc. are also completely dependent on this sector.