Homestay policy may be refurbished to offer incentives
homestay policy to ensure adequate incentives for hosts and aggregators, bring in transparent regulations and introduce measures to protect the interests of both tourists and homeowners.
The move will help formalise the informal sector and make it world-class as the government aims to develop India into the most preferred tourist destination with focus on niche tourism, eco-tourism and wellness tourism, said officials.
The revised policy could see fiscal incentives for homeowners and aggregators, a robust verification and monitoring mechanism and comprehensive standards with a bigger range of classification of homestays to enhance the overall experience, they said.
Besides, the Centre will maintain data for all recognised and certified homestays for the convenience of travellers. Homestays or bed-and-breakfasts in India are currently classified in the 'silver' and 'gold' category based on the services and infrastructure available.
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A senior government official told ET that NITI Aayog has undertaken a study on 'Unlocking Economic Potential of Homestays in India' which will recommend changes needed in the existing policy framework to help develop an ecosystem for homestays with focus on infrastructure creation and capacity building including those of skilled workers.
«The government is of the view that homestays have the potential to give a significant push to the local and regional economy and hence a greater policy and planning coherence is needed in the sector to scale it up to international