Looking for a lift

It got off the ground as a dream project with terrific returns, but highwaytourism has now been reduced to a virtual liability in Haryana. The buildings are dilapidated. The quality of food is pathetic. There is little cleanliness. And if these are not enough to turn away the tourists, the task is more than accomplished by discourteous waiters and other staff. Haryana’s tale of highway tourism, which it pioneered in the 70s, is one of criminal neglect and complete mismanagement.

But all this and much more is likely to change soon. The Haryana Tourism body is taking the highway to privatisation. Not only has the state government decided to ban construction of any new tourist resort by the tourism corporation, it has initiated the process of handing over its tourist complexes to enterprising hoteliers in the private sector. “The government has already initiated the process for appointment of consultants to attract private investment in tourism infrastructure and keep pace with the changing times,” HTDC managing director Rajan Gupta says.

The corporation plans to enter the new regime with two of its “high potential” properties, Jungle Babbler at Rewari and Dubchick at Hodal.

Located on the upgraded Delhi-Jaipur national highway, Jungle Babbler with 13 rooms, an air-conditioned restaurant and bar and a conference hall, has all the makings of an ideal stopover for tourists. The resort was undone by its poor standards of food and service, which brought the occupancy rates down from an 84 per cent with a profit of Rs 17.73 lakh in 1995-96 to an abysmal 36 per cent per cent with a loss of Rs six lakh in 1998-99.

The story of Dubchick Tourist Complex is no different. Spread over 13 acres of land on the Delhi-Agra national highway, it has 22 rooms, an air-conditioned restaurant and a conference hall. It, too, failed to do well for similar reasons. The HTDC, however, does not need to worry too much about the disastrous run of its resorts. The response from the private sector has been encouraging.

“It is a welcome move because it is time the government got out of the service industry. Not only is the hotel industry a tricky business, the customer also wants value for money. In this scenario, only the private sector can deliver goods,” says Manmohan Singh, chairman of Aroma Hotels Ltd. Echoing similar views, Institute of Tourism and Future Management Trends (ITFT) director Gulshan Sharma sees a tremendous opportunity for the private sector. “The food and beverages and accommodation industry requires a lot of flexibility and quick decision-making. The state-run complexes can never match the private sector in providing quality service and taking care of customers,” he insists, adding that the private sector will give a “good response” to the privatisation move.

“If our plan to privatise these two Dubchick and Juggle Babble pans out, we will be keen to involve private entrepreneurs in all the 46 tourist complexes,” insists a Tourism Department official. Not only did most of the 46 tourist complexes owned by Haryana Tourism lose their major clientele, they have also been incurring heavy losses. The occupancy has dropped to an abysmally low level of 35 to 40 per cent in more than half the tourist complexes.

The immediate beneficiaries are the hundreds of swank dhabas (some of them air-conditioned) which have mushroomed on highways in the state, reducing most of the once-popular tourist resorts have got reduced seedy and shady joints patronised by small-time politicians.

“Not only do they lack hygiene and quality of food and service, many of these complexes are in such a bad state that they cannot even cater to more than a dozen tourists without prior information,” concedes an official of Haryana Tourism Development Corporation (HTDC) on the condition of anonymity. The only exceptions are the resorts in Faridabad, Gurgaon, Pinjore, Panchkula and Karnal _ these eight to 10 Properties cross-subsidise all others.

Not exactly a happy situation. But the authorities are themselves to blame for the mess. “The government pumped in over Rs 100 crore to set up these complexes, but no money was spent on upgradation, renovation and training of staff due to the so-called financial crunch. What the politicians were interested in was to establish new complexes for political interests,” observes a HTDC manager gingerly. The most severe blow was, however, delivered by the Bansi Lal Government when it imposed prohibition in 1996.

The ban on liquor resulted in a sudden slump in tourism activities in the state, pushing the corporation into the red. While only a few tourist resorts perked up with the return of liquor in early 1998, others continue to wear a deserted look. The authorities are now hoping to impose some order with private investments, but it is unlikely find takers for half its tourist complexes _ Meham, Asakhera, Narwana, Sirsa, Abubshehar, Narwana, Kaithal and other spots with little attraction for tourists. Nevertheless, privatisation is a welcome move.