Agra hotels set to welcome tourists as Taj Mahal reopens from September 21

Hoteliers have started preparation for the tourists after the government decided to reopen the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort for the general public from September 21.

The famed monuments, which attract people all across the world, were shut in March due to the nationwide lockdown in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this, the hotel industry was shut for over five months and suffered losses.

Speaking to ANI, Rajkant, a hotel owner said, "We were waiting for the government to reopen Taj Mahal under Unlock 4 guidelines as they were reopening everything in a phased manner."

He said the District Magistrate has recently given orders to reopen the Taj Mahal from September 21 and added that it will also bring the tourism industry back on track.

"Businessmen are happy with this decision as we host people from across the world who come here to see Taj Mahal," Rajkant said.

Another hotel owner, Rashmi Singh said, "Our businesses were impacted due to coronavirus. Due to this, we had to ask some of our hotel staff to leave while the remaining worked on deducted salaries."

"Now we are hopeful to see some tourists as the authorities have announced the reopening of Taj Mahal and Agra Fort," said Singh.

Arvind, an employee at a hotel said, "We have started the preparation for the guests arriving at the hotel."

"We had no work for the past five months. Now we are looking forward to work and hope that the situation gets better," Mohammad Siraj, another employee at the hotel, remarked.