Amusement Parks To Reopen From Oct. 15, Operators Wary Of Footfalls

The amusement parks industry, which has been permitted to restart functioning from Oct.15, is apprehensive about footfalls, going by the experience of restaurants, an official said on Tuesday.

The industry, which provides direct and indirect employment to around four lakh people across the country, has incurred a loss of around Rs 2,000 crore due to the lockdown, Indian Association of Amusement Parks and Industries president Ajay Sarin said.

He said around one lakh people, related to the sector, have lost jobs due to the closure of entertainment parks.

"Although the government has allowed the amusement parks to resume functioning from Oct.15, just before the start of festivities, we are apprehensive about the attendance," Sarin told PTI.

The scepticism stems from the fact that the restaurants, which have already reopened, are not witnessing encouraging footfalls, he said.

"Hardly 25-30% attendance is there", Sarin said, adding that people may not prioritise visiting entertainment parks amid the still-raging pandemic.

"However, we are working hard to sanitise the parks before resumption from mid-October and doing some publicity," he said.