SHILLONG, June 22: The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has broken the backbone of the hospitality sector in Shillong, which buzzed with tourists till March 2020.
Hoteliers and guesthouse operators began to claw back their way back from December last year, but the second wave dashed their hopes of a turnaround.
Parambir Singh, the president of the Federation of Shillong Hotels, said they are awaiting a response from the state government for assistance sought a few days ago.
The association is learnt to have approached the Tourism Secretary for a bailout package, especially to take care of their electricity bills and salary of staff.
But, given the mess the MeECL is in, the association plans to approach the government again for a five-year GST holiday.
“The GST break can help us recover,” Singh said.
The state of the tourism industry has also hit an array of related activities that survive on vacationers or business visitors. The scenario is no different beyond Shillong.
There are fears that many of the smaller hotels and guesthouses may not be able to reopen post-pandemic as they have been badly hit due to the lockdown.
Some hotels used by the government as quarantine centres for health workers have managed to keep going. But the government is yet to settle their pending bills apart from a meagre amount.
