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Himachal CM Sukhu Launches Home Stay Portal to Boost Rural Tourism

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched a dedicated online portal to streamline the registration process for home stay operators. He directed officials to grant provisional registrations without waiting for Fire Department NOCs to prevent business harassment. The government has expanded the Home Stay Scheme to include urban areas, allowing registration for properties with up to six rooms. The initiative aims to promote rural tourism, provide authentic local experiences, and is supported by an interest subsidy scheme for setting up tourism units.

Key Points: Himachal Launches Home Stay Portal, Eases Registration Rules

  • Online portal simplifies registration
  • Provisional registration without Fire NOC
  • Scheme expanded to urban areas
  • Interest subsidy for tourism units
  • Promotes rural tourism and local cuisine
2 min read

Himachal Pradesh CM launches home stay registration portal

Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launches online homestay portal, simplifies registration, and expands scheme to urban areas to boost tourism.

"The Home Stay Scheme is a cornerstone of the government's strategy to foster self-employment. - CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu"

Shimla, Feb 2

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday launched the dedicated home stay registration portal, http://homestay.hp.gov.in, designed to simplify the administrative process.

The new platform allows operators to complete their registration online, ensuring a user-friendly experience from the comfort of their homes. The Chief Minister emphasised that the state government is committed to facilitating hotel owners and home stay operators to ensure that their businesses remain unhindered by bureaucratic hurdles.

In a significant move to support the hospitality industry, the Chief Minister issued clear directives that the renewal of registration of home stays must not be stalled under the pretext of no objection certificates (NOC) from the Fire Department.

He instructed the Tourism Department to grant provisional registrations to such establishments, ensuring that business operations and maintenance can proceed without harassment or unnecessary obstruction.

Highlighting the vast potential of the state's tourism landscape, CM Sukhu noted that the Home Stay Scheme is a cornerstone of the government's strategy to foster self-employment.

The initiative aims to promote rural tourism and draw visitors to the state's untouched, lesser-known destinations. To maximise these opportunities, the government has expanded the scheme's scope to include urban areas, allowing for the registration of homestays with a capacity of up to six rooms.

The Chief Minister underscored that home stays offer a unique value proposition, providing tourists with an authentic "homely" experience through traditional village architecture and local cuisine. He remarked that serving traditional dishes not only enriches the tourist experience, particularly for foreign visitors, but also significantly boosts the income of local homeowners.

To further incentivise the sector, the Chief Minister highlighted the introduction of an interest subsidy scheme designed to assist people in setting up, expanding or upgrading tourism units. Under this initiative, the state provides interest subsidies of three per cent in urban areas, four per cent in rural areas and five per cent in tribal regions on term loans.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rajesh Q
Finally, some practical governance! The interest subsidy is a game-changer, especially the 5% for tribal areas. This can really help folks in Kinnaur or Lahaul-Spiti. Hope the portal is as user-friendly as they claim and doesn't crash like some other government sites.
A
Aman W
Promoting local cuisine is the best part. When tourists get to eat authentic siddu or chana madra in a village home, it creates a memory no hotel can match. This preserves our culture and puts money directly in the hands of locals. Win-win!
S
Sarah B
As a frequent traveler to Himachal, this is wonderful news. Homestays offer a much more genuine experience than commercial hotels. I hope this leads to better discoverability of these unique places online. The focus on lesser-known destinations is crucial to reduce overtourism in places like Manali.
V
Vikram M
Good move, but execution is key. They must ensure basic safety and hygiene standards are maintained even with provisional registrations. Waiving the Fire NOC for renewal is fine, but a basic safety audit shouldn't be completely ignored. Let's hope for responsible tourism growth.
N
Nisha Z
My cousin in Shimla has been wanting to start a homestay but was scared of the paperwork and inspector visits. This portal and the CM's directive against "harassment" will give her the confidence to go ahead. More power to local entrepreneurs! 💪

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