The surge in COVID-19 cases across the State and the extended lockdown in Bengaluru to cope with the pandemic has put paid to any hopes of tourism revival as evident in minuscule number of visitors to places of tourist interest.
With recreational travel considered as socially irresponsible in the wake of pandemic surge and the resultant job loss, financial distress and uncertainty, the authorities and the stakeholders are preparing for the long haul ahead.
And two weeks after the reopening of the monuments under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and other places of interest, the response is next to nil at most places which have ticketed entries. The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) introduced five packaged tours to revive the sector. But an official confirmed that not a single trip could be operated due to lack of response.
Information from Chennakeshava temple in Somanathapura in Mysuru district and Dariya Daulat in Srirangapatna in Mandya district indicate that the number of visitors is negligible and does not exceed a handful on any given day and they are locals out to beat the lockdown boredom. The Tipu Sultan palace in Bengaluru is out of bounds for visitors as it is in a containment zone.
At Somanathapura and other ASI-controlled monuments, the entry is only through e-ticket and many of the curious visitors from rural areas could not complete the electronic transaction and returned as there is no issue of physical ticket at the counters.
Among the worst affected due to the virtual halt in the sector are the guides who depend on tourists and charge a fee for highlighting the historical significance of the monuments. For scores of guides at Belur, Halebid, Srirangapatna and Somanathapura the weekend tourists from Bengaluru were the mainstay. But the surge in COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru and the extended lockdown dealt a crippling blow to their hopes of any revival of fortunes.
“Srirangapatna, Somanathapura, Belur and Halebid are among the popular weekend getaway destinations for a lot of people from Bengaluru but the pandemic has kept everyone away’’, said Devaraj, a licensed guide at the Keshava temple at Somanathapura who has now relocated to his native village in Hassan district. “I have no earnings since March and by relocating I am saving on house rent’’, he added.
B.N. Satyanarayana Gupta, a senior guide at Belur, said despite the temple remaining open throughout the day, there are no visitors and hence the guides too have dispersed in search of jobs.
“Many of them have taken up temporary jobs as security personnel while a few have joined the construction sector to earn their livelihood’’, said Mr. Gupta. The KSTDC opened up a few guided tour service but sources in the Tourism Department said there is hardly any response to it.
Though there was a rush in the initial phase of unlocking to Bandipur, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu etc, the surge in COVID-19 cases forced the authorities to clamp a local ban on the entry of tourists which further nipped any hopes of tourism revival for the stakeholders.
