A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 ON TOURISM IN AJODHYA HILLS (PURULIA)

Introduction: The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 commonly known as CoVid-19 pandemic has severely impacted lives throughout the world. Its effects on the socio-economic conditions of people, as well as their mental, physical and emotional wellbeing, are yet to fully understood but it is widely accepted that many of the changes are likely to be long-lasting or even irreversible. Tourism, a significant source of income and livelihood for many communities, is one of the sectors of business that has been particularly hit hard. Objective: This paper focuses mainly on the positive and negative impacts on the local hotel person at Ajodhya (Purulia) by highlighting the impact of the pandemic on the incomes of local people employed in the hotel business at Ajodhya, Baghmundi (Purulia, West Bengal) in the year 2020-21. Data & Methodology: The study is based on primary data. Data was collected from samples drawn from visitors, hotels and the local residents of Ajodhya. The sample size was 90. Analysis of data was done using univariate and bivariate methods with the help of analytical software ( STATA-16). For mapping, QGIS3.14 was used. Result: Results show that Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the tourism business at Ajodhya Hills. A large reduction in post-pandemic income was observed as compared to the pre-pandemic levels. The findings point to the need to improve the tourism benefits among the people at Ajodhya. Conclusion: The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the tourism business Ajodhya Hill has been significant. Most of the locals, of whom the STs are the majority, are employed in hotels. Besides high tax rates, the pandemic and the seasonal nature of the tourist business has created a stress on employment potential The mean monthly income also showed a decrease due to the covid19 pandemic. This uncertainty has affected customer sentiment also. Satisfaction levels among tourists were found to be low because of poor quality of food at restaurants, lack of cleanliness in accommodations, unawareness of Covid-19 protocols, absence of proper medical facilities (especially for emergency care), and poor hygiene and sanitation in the hotels and restaurants. The findings point to the need for hotel owners and managers ensure food hygiene and observance of Covid-19 protocols. In addition, it is necessary for the Government to take appropriate steps for the betterment of tourism business at Ajodhya (Purulia).