A recent disaster in the area has brought the tourism sector in Dehradun to a crash, with hundreds of companies fighting to survive. Hoteliers, tour operators, shopkeepers, and transport providers have recorded a radical reduction in the number of visitors, which has been a major disappointment and anxiety to those who are reliant on the industry.
The town of Dehradun also serves as the entrance to Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Haridwar, and Char Dham pilgrimage paths, and is generally busy with tourists visiting the city during this period of the year. Nevertheless, the disaster has frightened travelers due to floods, landslides, and poor connectivity of the roads. Reservations in hotels and guesthouses have significantly decreased, and adventure tourism, i.e. trekking, river rafting, and camping, services have been practically frozen.
Local businessmen declare that the blow has been disastrous. This season was to be our good business season, and the disaster has now ruined our prospects. Our bookings have been cancelled most of the time, and walk-in customers are almost nil, said one of the hotel owners in the city. The same worries were echoed by taxi drivers and small business owners, who added that their daily earnings have decreased to a small fraction of what they had previously earned.
One of the primary sources of the Uttarakhand economy is tourism, and Dehradun is a major hub to be used as a gateway to numerous tourist spots. The economic impact of the slump has spread to other sectors of the state economy, not only impacting those running businesses but also hundreds of employees working in hotels, restaurants and travel services.
The state government has been pressed by business associations to provide a relief measure. They have demanded urgent financial aid in the form of a temporary basis, tax cuts, and a rush to have damaged roads repaired and normalcy restored. There are also calls by many that a tourism revival campaign should be done once the conditions stabilize to restore the traveller confidence and to draw visitors back to the region.
Although the present crisis is still happening, the locals have hope that through good support and timely restoration measures, tourism will recover. It is not the first time we have experienced difficulties. We have always rebuilt our mountains, which have always tested us. All we require is the government’s help and tourist trust, and we have the business, said one of the local traders.
At this point, though, all is disappointment in the tourism circles of Dehradun, with the businesses waiting with bated breath that the tourists will turn up and thus restore the economy of this city.
