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Rising Covid cases hit hotel bookings in Rajasthan amid travel fears
Hotel bookings in Rajasthan have been affected by the recent reports of rising Covid-19 cases in the country, despite the latest strain being considered as milder.
'The return of coronavirus is reducing the number of tourists in Rajasthan. There is a continuous decline in hotel bookings. In such a situation, the tourism industry could see the monsoon tourism season from July to September going underutilised,' Gaurav Khandelwal, a travel agent, said.
Around 98 Covid-positive cases and one related death have been reported in Rajasthan from January 1 to June 1 this year. According to health department data, the maximum number of cases have been reported in the last few days.
'In summer, there are usually 50 per cent to 60 per cent bookings in hotels, which is now reported to have been reduced by half to over 25-30 per cent,' Hussain Khan, president, Hotel Federation of Rajasthan said.
'People are not ready to travel due to this virus; they are wary and are cancelling their bookings. In such a situation, hotels and other industries that are dependent on tourism are likely to face losses. If cases continue to rise, the monsoon tourism season, when millions of domestic tourists visit the state, could get spoiled,' Khan added.
According to Sanjay Kaushik, a tour operator and industry expert, the next week will be crucial in determining Covid's impact on tourism. 'Till now, we have been assuming that the effect on domestic tourism is due to the tension between India and Pakistan. Being a border state, Rajasthan's tourism industry has been greatly affected,' he said.
Tourism contributes around 12 per cent to 14 per cent to Rajasthan's economy, according to industry estimates. Over 7.5 million people are employed in the industry, directly and indirectly — the third largest sector employment-wise in Rajasthan, after agriculture and textiles.
Over 230 million tourists visited Rajasthan in 2024, according to tourism department data, with the majority being domestic tourists. This figure was significantly higher than 2023, when 180 million tourists visited Rajasthan. The first quarter of 2025 has seen 52 million tourists visiting the state.
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