Hoteliers expect a significant increase in occupancy starting November, as against last year, because of the number of fully vaccinated people in Maharashtra and cases still being in check.

The tourism and hospitality sectors in Maharashtra are showing the first signs of recovery after the second Covid wave struck. Hotels in Mahabaleshwar and Lonavla now have a healthy 50-70 percent business of the pre-Covid levels, top sources from the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India told TOI on Tuesday.

Sherry Bhatia, president of the association, said, “This is the first instance of room bookings picking up at these major tourist spots after the second wave began subsiding. We anticipate that the coming months would bring in more improvement in bookings.” Bhatia said his own resort in Murud-Janjira recently recorded occupancy of 60-70 percent of the pre-pandemic levels, a first in months.

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