‘Revenge tourism’ with dip in Covid cases worries doctors | Kolkata News

Kolkata: Doctors in Kolkata issue caution as “revenge tourism” picks up, with Kolkatans going out for long holidays as well as to weekend destinations where Covid safety protocols are being compromised on many occasions.
According to travel agents and airline officials in the city, Kolkatans this monsoon are trying to make the most of the gap between the second wave of Covid-19 and the impending third wave.
“With restrictions on international travel, people are going to travel hubs within the country like Manali, Goa, Kashmir and Uttarakhand. The rising Covid cases has hampered travel bookings to Kerala, but people are going to places where the infection count is low,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman (east), Travel Agents federation of India.
According to tour operators, the most favoured destinations for long holidays are Manali, Ladakh, Kashmir, Nainital, Vizag and Goa. Among the closer destinations within the state, Darjeeling, Bolpur and Purulia are witnessing a spurt in tourist footfall. For weekend travels, many homestays and eco resorts on city fringes have been full over the last few weeks.
“This is a dangerous trend. Congregation, non-Covid appropriate behaviour and migration are often rampant at tourist destinations and these can easily accentuate the infection and cause an early arrival of the third wave. I strongly advise people to not indulge in non-essential travel. If they must, they should always keep the masks on and follow Covid protocols,” said virologist Rahul Jain.
Stressing on the issue, the Union health ministry had also issued a caution while addressing a briefing last month. Showing slideshows of “frightening” scenes of overcrowded hill stations
“This is revenge travel after travel-related restrictions were relaxed. We can spot tourists without masks, not following distancing rules… and all these are likely to nullify all gains made so far in managing the infection in the country,” Lav Aggarwal, the joint secretary of health ministry had said.
“I have been working frommy home for more than a year. My entire family is stressed out. Hence, we planned a trip to Uttarakhand. It is pretty crowded but we are trying to avoid the crowd and maintaining Covid protocols,” said Abhishek Dutta, a techie, who is currently in Nainital with his wife and 7-year-old son.
This, however, breathed a fresh lease of life into hospitality sector. “ There is finally some good news for us in the hills. Tourists are flocking to hotels and houseboats after RTPCR tests,” said Mohammad Yusuf, MD of Nesa Tours and Travels at Srinagar.
Closer home, Digha Sankarpur Hotel Owners Association officials also said hotels are packed during weekend and that staff are checking RTPCR certificates or vaccination status of tourists.