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Tourism Industry:OPENING HOME TO TOURISTS, by Radhakrishna Rao,26 May 2009 Print E-mail

Sunday Reading

New Delhi, 26 May 2009

Tourism Industry

OPENING HOME TO TOURISTS

By Radhakrishna Rao

The concept of home stay is slowly but surely gaining popularity in the tourism industry. It could be explained as a fall out of the cultural and ecological degradation associated with the conventional sightseeing and leisure industry. Not only is home stay more affordable in comparison to an accommodation in a rated hotel, but exerts less pressure on the environment around. Besides, it also makes for a far more enjoyable and memorable experience.

According to industry wizards, the concept of home stay is rapidly catching up in India and is becoming popular with both the domestic and international tourists. With business looking good, by the end of the year, a big tourist company is planning to bring in around 1,000 houses across the country into the “home stay” network. The concept will offer a unique package of a vast range of activities ranging from yoga, ayurvedic treatments and massages, backwater rafting in Kerala to exploring tiger trails in Periyar tiger reserve.

In the gorgeously beautiful Kodagu (formerly known as Coorg) district of Karnataka, known for its magnificent mountain ranges, bubbling water streams and flourishing coffee plantations and orange orchards, many enterprising coffee planters, who have inherited ethnically vibrant traditional houses, have entered into the home stay business in a big way by making use of their assets.

Similarly, in the historically-vibrant north-western Rajasthan, former princely rulers dotting this desert State have converted their sprawling and beautiful palaces and residences into
heritage home stays. Not to be left behind “God’s Own Country” as the ever-green Kerala is known in the tourist blurb has popularised the home stays in a big way by falling back on the bounties of nature.

Significantly, many small farmers in the hilly Waynad, in northern part of Kerala have taken to home stay following crop failures in the region. In fact, the extra income they now earn has helped them see through the bad days. The popularisation of home stay here is thanks to the sustained efforts’ made by local non-profit organization called Uravu, which in Malaylam stands for spring.

As part of its plan Uravu has adopted a village, Thrikkaipet, where farmers are being encouraged to convert a part of their houses for home stay   “Our aim is to make the village a self- sustaining one as through home stays, a large part of the income goes to the locals. A visitor here will be the guest of the village” says Uravu’s T. Sivraj. Significantly, tourists from Europe including Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France have merged as patrons of home stays in this non-descript village in the mountainous north Kerala.

Way back in 2002, the ice-covered Ladakh entered the home stay map with the active encouragement of California-based Snow Leopard Conservancy, an organisation that strives for conservation of natural resources through the active involvement of the local community. Before home stay was introduced, tourists used to travel to Leh and make day trips to Ladakh. However, with the home stay gaining in popularity, travelers to this once forbidden icy region can explore the ravishing beauty of the region by going in for home stays. And for the local population the change is more than welcome as it implies additional income from a booming tourism industry.

In Palghat district of Kerala, known as the rice bowl of the State, many traditional houses standing in the midst of flourishing paddy fields have been converted into home stays which offer local culinary delights and cultural programmes for both the Indian and foreign tourists. Similarly, a once unknown island village off Kochi in Central Kerala has become a thriving tourist destination following the introduction of Home stay.  

Interestingly, local fishermen in the village of Kumbalangi run home stays with a high degree of professional acumen. These home stays offer not only local delicacies, but also an insight into the local way of living and culture. Initially, the locals were skeptical of tourism, but it has clicked, according to the Great Indian Tourism Planners and Consultants International.

Apparently, even well-heeled tourists who normally prefer to stay in star hotels are now plumping for home stays, for “the heck of it”. A spokesperson of the travel and leisure industry says that home stay has now become one of the biggest crowd pullers, making it one of the most dynamic sector of the travel industry. Home stays were earlier popular with foreign tourists but nowadays there has been a huge interest evinced even by Indians too” says Mayura Balasubramaniam, a project support officer for tourism programme with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The UNDP has tied up with Tourism Ministry to promote rural tourism in 36 villages across 20 States.

Apparently, home stays vary from the so-called basic home stays with a rural family or a tribal hamlet for Rs.100 a night to luxury or heritage stays within havelis, mansions or plantations and estates, the charge for which is anything above Rs 5000. In addition, there are around 10,000 home stays with an environmental theme.

The benefits of home stays clearly include staying with the locals (owners of the property), eating local cuisine and taking part in various traditional and cultural activities including mehandi artistry and weaving coil baksets etc. As of now, Kerala, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan are in the forefront of popularizing home stays in the country. The change is also an indication that these days most urban middle class and upper class Indians are aware and well-traveled. They want to experience their own country.

The bewitching beautiful Indonesian island of Bali, known for its magnificent Hindu temples and ravishingly beautiful beaches promoted home stays in a big way in the 90s, following an outcry over the negative cultural and environmental fall out of the traditional tourism.

Despite the global recession and fear of terrorist attacks, home stays in the country are moving from strength-to-strength. Kerala is one such example. The Indians go there mainly during October, April, May and December. And, surprisingly, the tourist industry there saw more than double the number of domestic tourists, after Mumbai mayhem. Not surprisingly then the Tourism department of Kerala as part of its plan to promote responsible tourism in the stay is encouraging the home stays in a big way. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

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