BENGALURU: In order to define and list their property as a homestay, owners must reside there and ensure that the food served to guests is prepared in their kitchen, and not remotely control the tourist inflow and management of the property.
This is a criterion for a property to be listed and defined as a homestay, failing which, the said property would be categorised as a Bread and Breakfast (B&B) or resort. This is one of the listed guidelines prepared by the state tourism department to define a homestay. The department has prepared a list of guidelines, as part of the recent tourism policy, to regulate tourism in the state. The guidelines are awaiting final approval from the tourism minister and the chief minister.
The draft guidelines also state that apart from the property owner staying at the existing property, the house should not have more than six rooms or 12 beds. “A homestay should be a home where the stay for tourists in the house is welcomed. The tourist should feel as if it’s a home away from home. There are many properties operating in the state in the name of homestays, which, however, do not fall under the listed definition. Through the guidelines, the department is reinstating the definitions of each type of property and what purpose it can serve,” sources told TNIE.
The department has decided to tighten the noose on people running homestays, hotels and resorts in the state. This measure follows the recent gangrape of an Israeli tourist and the death of a tourist from Odisha in Koppal district. “There are many places where property owners stay elsewhere, and practise some other profession. Their properties, in Kodagu, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Mangaluru, or any other location, is often overseen by a manager. In the guise of a homestay, tourism activities are undertaken without any registration. In some cases, with a little modification, a mini-hotel is also found to be operating. All these need to stop,” a source said.
The draft guidelines also state that the registration of the property needs mandatory approval from the deputy commissioners, superintendents of police, and the deputy director of the tourism department. They will verify the details of the property, the owner, security and maintenance. The draft guidelines have also listed the definition and difference between a B&B, homestay, lodge, hotel, and resort. The properties, henceforth, will be graded, taxed, and ranked accordingly, the draft states.