Rath Yatra 2022: Tourist bookings in Puri accommodations attain pre-COVID pandemic stage

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of the Rath Yatra of the Holy Trinity which is able to see participation of devotees after two years of COVID-19 pandemic, all resort rooms – each massive and small – in Puri have already been bought out.

One of the grandest festivals in Odisha’s cultural calendar, Rath Yatra attracts lakhs of devotees yearly. With the pageant being held with none COVID restrictions this time, the district administration is anticipating a crowd of 12 lakh to fifteen lakh devotees. 

According to the Tourism division and Puri Hotel Owners Association, 99 per cent of resort rooms had been booked a lot forward of time and the guests are from all elements of the nation. However, inquiries from worldwide vacationers for the pageant have remained low. 

The Pilgrim Town of Puri has at the very least 1,000 rooms in massive accommodations together with luxurious properties, and one other 8,000 in customary accommodations of various classes like price range lodging, lodges and vacation houses. 

“Rath Yatra has always been the biggest crowd-puller in the State. Now when the Covid-19 numbers are down and travel restrictions have been done away with, the number of visitors to Puri during the festival is bound to rise compared to what it was during pre-COVID period. Online bookings in many hotels began early this year and by today, everything has been sold out,” stated Puri Hotel Owners Association president Rama Krushna Das Mohapatra.

Puri Tourist Officer Saroj Pradhan stated the common period of every reserving for Rath Yatra is a minimal of three days because the guests have a tendency to go to different vacationer points of interest like Chilika, Satapada, Konark after watching the Rath Yatra.

As per the present vacationer reserving development, 60 per cent guests’ site visitors are from West Bengal, the remaining 40 laptop from different elements of the nation. However, amid the tourism increase, what has come as a setback for hoteliers and tour operators is lack of ticketed rooftop viewing of Rath Yatra this time.

With the Odisha authorities demolishing all accommodations and different properties throughout the prohibited space and a few within the regulated space of Srimandir for the Parikrama challenge, hoteliers haven’t been capable of e-book rooftop viewing of the grand pageant.

The one or two accommodations which might be positioned on the Grand Road have bought their Rath Yatra packages at charges as excessive as Rs 50,000 for a 3-day tour, sources stated.

According to official stories, there have been 41 accommodations and lodges and 230 residential homes on the Grand Road which supplied rooftop viewing of Rath Yatra at a worth starting Rs 1,000 earlier than the demolitions for the challenge started final yr. The rooftop viewing was included in Rath Yatra packages by tour operators.