Ongoing protest stalls tourist business in Daman

SURAT: The ongoing protest over demolition of old houses by the Daman administration has almost paralyzed the union territory’s hotel industry casting a dark shadow in its tourism sector even during the Diwali vacation.
The closure of shops and imposition of section 144 in Daman for the past five days has resulted in significant drop in local business during peak Diwali season reducing it by almost 70%.This is peak season time for the territory’s hoteliers and restaurant owners who bank heavily on the tourists from south Gujarat and Maharashtra, who flock in huge numbers to enjoy Diwali vacation here till November 11.
Secretary of Daman Hotel and Restaurant Association (DHRA), Harish Thangal said, “The ongoing protests against the demolition drive has hit the tourism industry hugely. Bookings have dropped by almost 80% as wary tourists are preferring to stay away from the territory this year fearing trouble.”
Thangal added that the peak season for Daman hoteliers start immediately after the Diwali and New Year festival and lasts for almost 10 to 15 days. This time around, protests, bandh and imposition of section 144 has robbed them of their annual seasonal business.
Sources in Daman’s tourism sector stated that the day visitors to Daman during Diwali is pegged at 15,000, while around 15,000 prefer to stay back for a day or two. Since November 1, majority of the bookings in the hotels had been cancelled by tourists looking at the massive protests.
Rajesh Tandel, owner of a hotel in Daman said, “The demolition of houses came at a very wrong time. Almost all our customers have cancelled bookings in the last six days.”
Gopal Tandel, another hotelier said, “We hope normalcy prevails in Daman and our business picks up. Anyway, now it is too late as the season is almost over. We are sitting over huge losses due to the ongoing situation here.”
However, the Daman administration reiterates that the situation is completely normal in the union territory and that almost all shops have opened up. Talking with TOI, Daman collector, Rakesh Minhas said, “Everything is normal in Daman. Shops have opened up. We hope that things will come back on track in a day or two.”