Tourists cancel bookings for Odisha ahead of Hudhud strike

The impending cyclonic storm Hudhud has cast its shadow on the hotel and tourism industries in the state, particularly in coastal Odisha.

Many tourists, scheduled to visit the Puri, Konark, Chilka and Gopalpur during the current festive season, have cancelled their hotel bookings following forecast of Hud Hud striking the east coast between Gopalpur in Ganjam district and Visakhapatnam in Seemandhra.

Though India Meteorological Department (IMD) has revised its forecast to project the land fall of the storm little away from Gopalpur towards Visakhapatnam, the travellers are still wary about its impact on the coastal towns of the state, said joint secretary, Hotel and Restaurants Association, Odisha (HRAO) V.Santosh Kumar. "They have started to cancel their orders", he added.

Last year, two days before Phailin hit Gopalpur, the state government had asked the hoteliers to vacate the rooms for the safety of the tourists. Phailin had its land fall near Gopalpur on October 12 last year.

The festive season, which also marks the beginning of tourism season in the state, generally sees rush of tourists, both foreigners and domestic, most of whom prefer destination like Puri, Konark, Chilka and Gopalpur in coastal Odisha.

Tourist have started cancelling their bookings from September 8 after the announcement of the formation of a cyclonic storm in Bay of Bengal and its movement towards the state, said a hotelier at Gopalpur.

This is the second year in a row that the hospitality industry in the state is staring at severe losses due to nature's fury. Recently, tour operators suffered losses as tourists from Odisha cancelled their booking after the devastating floods in Jammu and Kashmir.

During the Phailin disaster last year, several tourist spots in Ganjam district were destroyed. These included Gopalpur, Tara Tarini, Tampra and several others. Some of them are yet to be fully repaired, sources said. 'If another cyclone strikes now, these spots will suffer heavy damages", said an officer.

Meanwhile, the district collectors of ten southern Odisha districts- Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Malkanagiri, Nabarangapur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Khurda and Puri are bracing up to face the impact of Hudhud.

"We have taken all necessary and precautionary steps to face the cyclone. The people of the coastal villages will be evacuated, if necessary. The Odisha disaster response action teams and National disaster response teams have been deployed in vulnerable area to deal with any eventuality", said a Ganjam district offcial.