-Nithis Kumar
In Goa, the tourism industry is one of the biggest in India reaching out over 40% of the state’s population annually. Today, people are worried about their health due to COVID-19. People had feared that up to 70 Thousand jobs could be lost due to the virus in the state. People who are relying on the tourism industry for income would be drastically affected. Chefs had been potentially lost their income sources due to the pandemic.
According to Jerson Fernandes, Executive Chef, Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia Resort, “We had followed certain precautionary measures in food preparation. Hygiene and sanitation are the two main challenges that we are facing. Safety is important among customers. Ensuring high hygiene practices will bring back the customer to the hotels.”
“I started home delivery of foods to the customers amid lockdown till 6:30 pm. We never
faced any challenges before the lockdown but now even if we came under the green zone, it is hard to go out. When I spoke to the Chief of Culinary Forum India, he said that the hotel industry is facing many challenges especially in getting orders from the customers. Sustainability is a big problem for hotel owners because of huge revenue loss has been occurred due to COVID-19.”, says Sarita Chavan, Women Entrepreneur who caters in Goa.
Recently, The PM of India told to the Chief Ministers, that Post-corona tourism has an adequate opportunity for us to revive the economy. Comparatively, India was far better than European countries in the number of cases. States should work on new protocols in terms of enhancing hotel infrastructure and tourist facilities to attract world tourists to India. The key idea is to enhance domestic tourism.
According to Samir Prakash Giri, Executive Chef, Lemon Tree Hotels Goa, “We have to make sure the tourism industry
resumes only after certain health protocols are followed. Ranging from large hotel and cruise chains to small.”
1. Implementing social distancing among customers and staff.
2. Having a contingency plan ready.
3. Marketing
4. Developing domestic and sustainable trade.
5. Reach out to regular customers, and ensuring food safety, he added.
Post-COVID-19 will be the time to restore our business by following the below health protocols:
According to Mahesh Ishwar, Corporate Executive Chef of Radisson Blu Cavelossim, Radisson Candolim Goa, “The hotel industry had been stranded but still we have been permitted to begin operations. The main challenge is to adapt to a new dynamic that has been installed due to the pandemic. After the lockdown period, hotels should follow the social distancing as an epicenter of the operations, and showcasing the hygiene standards would be applied to bring back customers to the hotel.
Undoubtedly, ahead of big challenges these factors which make hotels sustainable among the public.
