Calabar - Some operators have attributed the high patronages of at their hotels to the high turnout of tourists at the Calabar Carnival which would end on Monday. Mr Michael Idakwo, General Manager, Tinapa Lakeside Hotel, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Monday that the hotel made N15 million from patronage during the festival which lasted for one month.
He said that the hotel rooms were fully booked, adding that more visitors came on daily basis to enquire if there were still empty rooms. ``We have 242 rooms and the whole rooms were occupied by visitors that came to the carnival. ``Some visitors had made their bookings two months before the festival, `` he said.
Idakwo said that 25,000 customers visited the hotel in 2012. Miss Offiong Bassey, Senior Supervisor, Formula Hotel, said that there were 25 rooms in the hotel which were fully booked during the festival. ``The management was recording N30, 000 daily sales before the festival, but during the carnival, we recorded an average of N70, 000.
Mr Ettah Enem, Manager, Gomez Plaza Hotel also attributed the high patronage to the turnout of visitors at the carnival and urged organisers to continue to initiate programmes that would bring visitors to the city on regular basis. Miss Mary Nick, Front Desk Manager, Naks Hotel and Towers, said that hotel almost lost its favourite customers because visitors had booked the whole rooms in advance. She said the favourite customers were complaining that there was no room for them to lodge.
NAN