Tourism dept plans to launch campaign on hotel safety
Bhubaneswar: The state government will launch a creative campaign to reassure tourists about the safety of hotels in Odisha. The tourism department has begun the process of selecting a private agency to prepare the campaign.
The state government allowed hotels to function at 30% occupancy from June 8. However, most hotels remain vacant as tourists are fearful of their safety and the hygiene of the establishments.
“We have floated a tender to select the agency that will prepare a creative tourist safety assurance campaign. The promotional campaign will focus on the state government’s efforts in containing the spread of the virus and the safety protocols being followed by hotels. Through pictorial and video messages, we want to build a sense of confidence among tourists and reassure them that they are safe in Odisha,” tourism secretary Vishal Dev told TOI.
Hotels have adopted a slew of anti-Covid measures for the safety of their guests. “We have reopened with heightened safety and hygiene protocols. Contactless check-in, thermal screening, sanitized rooms and dining halls and sufficient provision of masks and sanitizers for tourists are the new normal in the hospitality sector,” owner of Swosti Group of Hotels and chairman of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO), J K Mohanty, said.
Although tourists from other states are yet to resume leisure travel, local visitors from different districts have started arriving at hotels. “I checked into a hotel as my father was admitted to a hospital nearby for treatment. The experience was completely different from pre-Covid days. The hotel made all efforts to keep the premises safe,” said Satish Ranjan Agarwal, a businessman from Sambalpur staying in a hotel here.
Hoteliers said special care was being taken to keep staff safe. “We have been according priority to the safety and hygiene of our staff who render services to guests. We are regularly monitoring the health of our employees and ensuring that they get Covid tests done. A short video on our arrangements and safety protocols has been circulated among tourists,” owner of Victoria Club Hotel and senior functionary of Hotel Association of Puri, Debasis Kumar, said.
The tourism department has asked all hotels to keep an eye on their employees’ health after 18 staff members of a star hotel near Jayadev Vihar Square here tested positive for the coronavirus on August 12.
On the occasion of World Tourism Day on September 27, the department plans to launch facilities for road trips to and through Odisha to attract tourists. The tourism department hopes to tap the market in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand to promote interstate road trips.