MYSORE: Hotels here, that usually hit the jackpot during the Dasara season with a high level of occupancy, are a worried lot this year. Although many hotels claim that bookings are nearly full for October 5 and 6 in the wake of the world-famous Vijayadashmi procession, there have not been enough enquiries for bookings for the remaining days.With just 48 hours left for the official inauguration of the Dasara festivities atop Chamundi Hill by the Pejwar Seer in the presence of the Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and others, the hotels have less than 50 to 60 per cent occupancy on weekdays and during the festivities. The city, with more than 170 to 200 high-end and budget hotels and posh resorts that have more than 5,000 rooms, hope that they will have guests as and when the festivities take off.The heritage properties including The Green, Hotel Metropole, Hotel Brindavan and Hotel Lalith Mahal, that have adequate bookings for a couple of days during Dasara, hope that they will do better, as people might want to stay at these heritage properties. A few hotels in city have spruced up their ambience for the festival, to attract tourists. The Fortune JP Palace has started a Middle-Eastern food festival with more than 15 dishes to attract both, local and foreign tourists. Many hoteliers blame the government and the district administration for this year’s poor response, as there is a lack of publicity. The hoteliers are not aware of the programmes, artists performing at the festival, venues for the tickets, gold cards available and other packages offered to tourists, in order to brief those who have to communicate with customers.Muniyalappa, Marketing In-charge at a heritage hotel, said that the organisers should hold meetings and brief the hoteliers to ensure that they act as ambassadors to market the Dasara festivities. When people plan for a month in advance to visit pilgrim centres, how can anyone expect tourists to plan a visit like this in a couple of days, asked Giri, Managing Director, Siddartha Group of Hotels.He said that the dasara celebration committee has made a mistake by failing to give wide publicity to the event, which can promote tourism beyond the season.Enquiries revealed that a few of the hotels, though having lower occupancy, have created artificial scarcity, claiming that they are full in order to charge higher rates.
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