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Taxi, hotel businesses in Delhi take a hit as tourists dry up
The scare of coronavirus has hit tour and taxi operators as well as hotels in the national capital. Travel operators on Thursday said they have taken a slew of precautions
The scare of coronavirus has hit tour and taxi operators as well as hotels in the national capital. Travel operators on Thursday said they have taken a slew of precautions to keep their staff safe even as bookings have come down.
Sanjay Samrat, president of Delhi Taxi, Tourists Transporters and Tour Operators Association, said that while there was fear among drivers, they were not refusing rides to foreign tourists as it would impact their already slow business.
“The drivers are actually scared of the disease spreading after a bus driver in Jaipur contracted the virus from an Italian tourist group he was driving around the city. However, we cannot afford to refuse rides, as it will dent our business even more. Already there is a slump in bookings for both people travelling in and out of the city,” said Samrat.
He added that the association that has at least 40,000 tourist taxis and 8,000 buses and is going to write to Union health minister Harsh Vardhan demanding proper screening of passengers flying in from abroad.
“We have been hearing that screening is being done. But then how did those Italian tourists escape scrutiny and were allowed to come out of the airport? We just want that anyone testing positive at the airport is restricted there itself and is not allowed to board any private taxi or other vehicle,” he said.
Taxi operators in the city have instructed drivers to wear good-quality masks, wash hands frequently and keep a distance from anyone found sneezing or coughing. Kishen Verma, president, All India Taxi Congress Transporters Union said, when the government is aware of the panic it must ensure that hand sanitisers are available at subsidised rates. “I went to buy one for my children. A small bottle of sanitiser cost me Rs 82. Not all drivers can afford that. They have to go out to earn their living,” said Verma.
Ram Singh, 49, who drives foreign tourists often said, “We have bought masks and handwash, as sanitisers are too expensive. The number of tourists coming in has come down over the past week. If the panic goes on, it will take a toll on our work.”
While the government has issued advisories on how to keep away from the disease and check for symptoms, a Mayur Vihar resident who had returned from Italy has tested positive for coronavirus.
It is the same story for hotels in the city. Owners in areas like Karol Bagh and Paharganj, which receives international tourists on a daily basis, said that they are not refusing accommodation to a particular set of tourists but are reporting any apparent cases of guests coming in sick.
“We have been given guidelines by the health department to report any sick tourists. So far we haven’t got any such case. There is a slight dip in the number of bookings. We have trained our staff on the precautions to take to keep themselves safe,” said Sandeep Khandelwal, president, Delhi Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association.
Ali Raja, who owns a hotel in Paharganj said that the coronavirus scare comes at a time the season was just picking up. “We have asked all our staff to maintain hygiene and take all precautions while serving guests. We have bought sanitisers for them. The guests coming in so far are also wearing masks,” said Raja.