Prohibition takes a toll on hospitality sector

PATNA: Hospitality sector in Bihar has probably been worst affected after the implementation of prohibition in the state since April 5, 2016.
According to city hoteliers, apart from drastic plunge in the room occupancy rate, corporate conferences have almost stopped.
“The food and beverages (F&B) segment has lost revenue up to 25 to 30%. Now, corporate events like product launches or meetings of most pharmaceutical, cement and other business firms are held either in neighbouring Jharkhand or West Bengal and Delhi,” said Pranav Kumar, the general manager at a hotel near Gandhi Maidan.
A number of bars, which used to offer liquor earlier, have turned into coffee shops and restaurants. Several small hotels and lounges have lost their customers and incurred huge revenue losses after prohibition.
Ravi Shankar, the owner of a lounge on Boring Road, recalled how Patnaites attended special Christmas or New Year parties in the pre-prohibition phase. He said, “I suffered a loss of nearly Rs 20 lakh... I no longer organize corporate events. Since the rent was very high, I had to cut manpower and give up one of the floors of my two-storeyed lounge.”
Event management firms have a similar experience to share. “The number of parties being organized in the city has dropped by almost 70%. Party animals prefer moving to other cities like Delhi or Bengaluru on Christmas or New Year as alcohol is easily available there,” said Atul Pancham, public relations officer of a city-based event management firm.
After booze ban, destination weddings have become quite popular among the city residents. Bihar Industries Association treasurer Subodh Goel told this reporter, “Those willing to spend money on lavish weddings prefer organizing their functions in Ranchi, Varanasi, Delhi or other popular destinations not very far from the city.”
Many, on the other hand, have got used to the liquor ban. “We have gradually accepted the fact that we live in a dry state and found other ways of enjoying ourselves in parties,” said Boring Road resident Aman Kumar.