The hotel industry in Visakhapatnam is facing tough time. Though the government is claiming a huge number of tourist footfalls, the hotel industry is not registering good revenues as the majority of the guests are leaving the city within 24-hours and at very rare occasions only, some of the hotels were registering cent per cent occupancy ratio. With this, some of the hotels, including star hotels, have been facing trouble to match the revenue against the expenditure.
During the past four years, according to the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department’s claim, the sector was developed and stood in third place across the country. The department is also stressing the need to create more accommodation, saying that available rooms of all category hotels are not meeting the demand of the tourists as of now.
But the managements are differing with the government arguments. “Who said the available rooms in Visakhapatnam are not sufficient and guests are returning due to lack of accommodation. In fact, we are struggling to get guests ensuring cent percent occupancy ratio.
Our managers are running from pillar to post to get the business. Except rare occasions like TDP Mahanadu, International Fleet Review and CII Partnership, the occupancy ratio is not crossing 60 per cent at the majority of the hotels of all categories,” a senior marketing manager of a star hotel, told The Hans India.
Meanwhile, with the number of air-conditioned function halls and more number of hygienic restaurants in the city, the hotels losing their restaurant business for the past four years. The business promotion wing of all three stars and above is facing hard times to get bulk business.
“After the Hudhud cyclone, there is no good business. The hotel business in the city is not good and the business is limited to the economy section only. The joy trip to this port city is only for a couple of days as there are good tourist attractions to stay here for three and four days.
What tourist attractions developed during the past one decade in Visakhapatnam? In fact, the AP Tourism Department never consulted the hotel industry to promote the tourism sector in a big way,” the general manager of one of the star hotels lamented. #KhabarLive
