<p>There is a dip in the number of tourists visiting Mysuru, due to the rising mercury levels and also increasing Covid-19 cases across the state, leaving the tourism and hospitality industry worried.</p>.<p>Tourist season in Mysuru begins from April and reaches its peak for more than two months. Most of the tourists are from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With Tamil Nadu going into polls and the Covid cases on the rise in Kerala, the number of tourists has come down considerably.</p>.<p>The stakeholders of tourism and hospitality sectors were hoping that business would get better this year, compared to last summer, when there was a lockdown, when business came to a halt. It took a few months for them to resume business.</p>.<p>Now, the second wave of Covid-19 has caught them off guard. The tourism and hospitality industry witnessed a little improvement in the last couple of months, when people from other states started visiting the tourist spots in and around Mysuru.</p>.<p>Usually, there is a dip in tourism activities every year in February and March due to annual examinations, but picks up later. </p>.<p>The fear of a second wave has kept the authorities concerned on their toes, implementing restrictions for the second consecutive year. The authorities are acting tough, allowing only those with Covid negative reports into Karnataka border. This has affected tourism activities.</p>.<p>Speaking to <span class="italic">DH</span>, Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Association president C Narayana Gowda said that the situation has become similar to August last year.</p>.<p>“Business had picked up by around 70% in the last couple of months. But, it has seen a dip by 25% now. With the district administration allowing only those with RT-PCR negative reports, there are not much tourists from other states. Only those within Karnataka are visiting Mysuru and surrounding places. If the current situation prevails, business is expected to be around 50% this year. We hoped for a normal season this year, he said.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Situation no differed</p>.<p>The situation is similar in Hassan and Mandya districts. The number of tourists to the historical Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebid and other monuments and Jain basadis has come down. The tourists inflow, which was around 2,000 on weekdays and 5,000 on weekends, has come down considerably in the last one week.</p>.<p>Brindavan Gardens and other places in Mandya district too have seen a dip in the flow of tourists. There was a steady stream of visitors to the district to take a holy dip in the River Cauvery during ‘Maagha masa’ and they also used to visit other places. Now, the number of tourists have come down due to the fear of Covid and also due to the restrictions enforced by the district administration. This has affected small vendors and sellers, who totally depend upon tourists for a living.</p>
<p>There is a dip in the number of tourists visiting Mysuru, due to the rising mercury levels and also increasing Covid-19 cases across the state, leaving the tourism and hospitality industry worried.</p>.<p>Tourist season in Mysuru begins from April and reaches its peak for more than two months. Most of the tourists are from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With Tamil Nadu going into polls and the Covid cases on the rise in Kerala, the number of tourists has come down considerably.</p>.<p>The stakeholders of tourism and hospitality sectors were hoping that business would get better this year, compared to last summer, when there was a lockdown, when business came to a halt. It took a few months for them to resume business.</p>.<p>Now, the second wave of Covid-19 has caught them off guard. The tourism and hospitality industry witnessed a little improvement in the last couple of months, when people from other states started visiting the tourist spots in and around Mysuru.</p>.<p>Usually, there is a dip in tourism activities every year in February and March due to annual examinations, but picks up later. </p>.<p>The fear of a second wave has kept the authorities concerned on their toes, implementing restrictions for the second consecutive year. The authorities are acting tough, allowing only those with Covid negative reports into Karnataka border. This has affected tourism activities.</p>.<p>Speaking to <span class="italic">DH</span>, Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Association president C Narayana Gowda said that the situation has become similar to August last year.</p>.<p>“Business had picked up by around 70% in the last couple of months. But, it has seen a dip by 25% now. With the district administration allowing only those with RT-PCR negative reports, there are not much tourists from other states. Only those within Karnataka are visiting Mysuru and surrounding places. If the current situation prevails, business is expected to be around 50% this year. We hoped for a normal season this year, he said.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Situation no differed</p>.<p>The situation is similar in Hassan and Mandya districts. The number of tourists to the historical Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebid and other monuments and Jain basadis has come down. The tourists inflow, which was around 2,000 on weekdays and 5,000 on weekends, has come down considerably in the last one week.</p>.<p>Brindavan Gardens and other places in Mandya district too have seen a dip in the flow of tourists. There was a steady stream of visitors to the district to take a holy dip in the River Cauvery during ‘Maagha masa’ and they also used to visit other places. Now, the number of tourists have come down due to the fear of Covid and also due to the restrictions enforced by the district administration. This has affected small vendors and sellers, who totally depend upon tourists for a living.</p>