Hotel And Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) will be meeting Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra on April 04 to present the impact of the liquor ban on jobs and other issues.
“Maharashtra alone has 13655 bars & shops, of which over 500 restaurants and bars shall be hit only in Mumbai, while in Mumbai Metropolitan Region 2000 and in the State of Maharashtra 9925 are at a risk of losing business. The Government of Maharashtra would stand to lose Rs. 7000 crores in taxes, excise and license fees, while the country wide impact on the sector is estimated at Rs. 200,000 crores,” says Mr. Kamlesh Barot, past President, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI). This would be in addition to an estimated job loss of over one million heads currently employed in the hospitality sector.
“Unlike many other countries, in India, highways run right through cities and towns. Not only restaurants and bars, but also hotels, malls, cinema houses, clubs and even residential apartments will be found right next to highways. Star rated hotels in Mumbai usually cater to business travelers and inbound foreign tourists. With about fifty hotels in Mumbai, including Sahara Star, Westin, Orchid and others, expected to be affected by the ban, tourists may find themselves exposed to a scenario of severely shrinking choices. This could wreck the demand supply ratio of full service hotels in the city, and affect the tourism infrastructure of the city,” says Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI.
