With businesses affected amid the pandemic, the hoteliers in Gelephu banked on the seven-day and 21-day mandatory quarantine protocols to keep their businesses afloat. But the government lifted the seven-day mandatory quarantine for domestic travellers and reduced the mandatory quarantine for international travellers to five days in April this year. And this has left the hoteliers in a state of helplessness.
In the last two years of the pandemic, more than 40 hoteliers in Gelephu continued their business by facilitating quarantine services to outbound and inbound travellers.
The hotels earned Nu 700 per day which was later increased to Nu 800.
But with COVID restrictions lifted and visitors refusing to stay in hotels, the hoteliers expressed concerns about sustaining their businesses during the recent BCCI familiarisation tour in Sarpang.
“Our Bhutanese people visiting from other places don’t opt for hotels but stay with their relatives when they come here. Only a few people visit our hotels. Otherwise, not many come to our hotels. We have to sustain by catering services to those visiting for one or two hours,” said Ugyen Rapten, a hotelier.
“Like Thimphu, Paro and Bumthang, hoteliers in Gelephu do not receive tourists or visitors. Thus, we have been focussing on visitors from neighbouring border towns,” said Thinley Gyamtsho, another hotelier.
As of today, the government has spent more than Nu 1.02bn in quarantine centres across the country.
Karma Wangdi, Gelephu
Edited by Sonam Pem
