Hotels, lodges stare at uncertainty as Covid-19 outbreak saps tourism industry in Kolhapur

KOLHAPUR: Thousands of tourists and visitors reach Kolhapur during the summer vacation, providing much revenue to the city. Mahalaxmi temple, Panhala fort and nearby scenic destinations make this southern Maharashtra city a popular tourist destination.
Hotels, lodges, Kolhapuri chappal shops and tour operators are staring at many days and months without business.People from all parts of the state and country come to Kolhapur, which is also a gateway for Goa. Majority of the tourists, heading for Goa, take halt at Kolhapur.
Since the lockdown was announced, Mahalaxmi temple has been closed and entry to Kolhapur has been prohibited. On an average, around 1,500 devotees visit Mahalaxmi temple every day. The temple is an ancient heritage site and one of the Shakti Peeths (a place associated with the goddess of power) dating back to the 700 AD.
The Jotiba temple situated over 3,000 ft. above sea level on the Panhala hills in Wadi Ratnagiri village; around 17 km away from Kolhapur attracts around seven lakh devotees during the annual yatra in April every year. The annual yatra was cancelled this year due to the lockdown.
Mahesh Jadhav, president of Paschim Maharashtra Devasthan Samiti (PMDS), which manages the Mahalaxmi, Jotiba and most other temples in Kolhapur, said, “At present we have closed the doors of the Mahalaxmi temple as a precautionary measure. We are doubtful about the number of devotees visiting the temple after lockdown is lifted. The possibility of the situation returning to normalcy is bleak. It will take time to revive the situation.”
Summer vacation of schools and colleges brings in thousands of visitors to Kolhapur. Though Kolhapur district only has seven cases as of now, restrictions on travel and continuing lockdown are not going to bring any visitors this season.
Anand Mane, former president of hotel owners association, said that March, April and May provide them financial security for the entire year. “We work for three months in summer, which is the peak of season. This year nothing has happened and we are in complete loss,” he said.
A hotel owners from Kolhapur city told TOI that they do not expect to recover from this crisis. “With the rules of maintaining social distancing, we don’t expect the hotel industry to revive soon,” he said.
Though summer is the peak season, the city’s hilly surroundings such as Radhanagari, Amboli, Gaganbawda and other ghats, which lead to Konkan region, draw many visitors during the monsoon season. However, the memories of last year’s devastating floods are still fresh in the minds of people and they are unlikely to travel in the current scenario too, industry sources said.
Samrat Kerkar, who runs a tourism company in Radhanagari, said they had developed a network of local guides, hotels, local art and exhibition to attract the tourists from across the country. This was helping in generating employment in the region. “But with the coronavirus threat, we don't expect the situation will return to normalcy. People associated with us are searching for jobs to earn their livelihood,” he said.