Packed till May-end,Mahabaleshwar emerges a ‘recession-proof’ tourist destination

Almost all the hotels in Mahabaleshwar are packed 100 percent,with no bookings available till May 31. The MTDC resort has over 100 rooms and cottages and according to the travel desk officials there,bookings are not available till May-end. From one of the smallest,called Pooja Farms near Tapola Lake with an inventory of four rooms,to Gautam Hotel,a three-star eco-hotel that has over 66 rooms,all the hotels are fully occupied. “We have 35 rooms,almost all of which are booked for the season,” said Manoj Ranawade of Girivihar Hotel.

As per the data available with HRA,Mahabaleshwar has over 25 big hotels with an inventory of more than 50 rooms each. While these are the major contributors towards the overall revenue generated at the hill station,there are nearly 20-22 smaller hotels with a capacity of less than 50 rooms and 10-15 lodges with a capacity of 10 rooms each. Koul said,“The ongoing peak season for Mahabaleshwar continues till June 10 and bigger hotels with room inventory of over 50 rooms generate an average revenue of Rs 25-30 lakh per 15 rooms during the peak season.”

On an average,10-12 lakh tourists pour into Mahabaleshwar every year,the number being maximum during the summer and this time,due to the thriving domestic tourism figures,a 20 percent increase in the number of tourists is recorded by HRA.

“We do not have a single five-star hotel in Mahabaleshwar. Average rates of three and four-star hotels are in the range of Rs 3,000 to 5,000,while the others range anywhere between Rs 1,200 to 2,600. Considering the increased demand we are expecting a 20 percent increase in the revenue generated as well,” said Koul,indicating that the expected revenue in the peak season that is currently on at Mahabaleshwar to be in the range of Rs 30-36 lakh per 15 rooms of a hotel and an overall average revenue across Mahabaleshwar to increase to three crore per 15 rooms from 2.5 crore per 15 rooms generated last year. “Going by these figures,it won’t be incorrect to tag Mahabaleshwar a recession proof tourist destination,” said Koul.