J&K Govt Notifies Guidelines For Homestay, Paying Guest House Registration To Boost Tourism

The aim of notifying these guidelines is to create a hassle-free environment for those wishing to register their properties as Homestays/Paying Guest Houses, said an official statement.

Kashmiri students use the internet at a Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) in Srinagar (Source: AFP)

New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Wednesday has advised procedural rules for the enlistment of Homestay and Paying Guest Houses in the Union Territory in order to facilitate more and more people to join the tourism trade, authorities said on Wednesday. Orders with this effect were given by Secretary, Tourism, Sarmad Hafeez.

"The aim of notifying these guidelines is to create a hassle-free environment for those wishing to register their properties as Homestays/Paying Guest Houses by simplifying many of the procedural requirements and minimising the formalities," an official statement said.

"An added benefit of introducing the concept of Homestays is to promote local culture, cuisine, handicrafts etc, thereby enhancing the employment opportunities for local inhabitants. Homestays/Paying Guest Houses would also be encouraged at the 75 new tourist destinations recently put on the tourist map by the Department."

The order further said that this is supposed to expand the tourist footfall by extensive measure.

In recent times, the Department of Tourism has followed a few ways breaking moves toward upgrading the tourism services, broadening the visiting seasons, adding more destinations to the tourist map, making J&K round the year destination to visit, golf promotion, a thorough promotional campaign, thrust on the adventure and heritage tourism, to name a few.

As a spin-off of these efforts, J&K has seen witnessed a huge tourist footfall over the past one and a half years and numerous experts say the traveler footfall of the past six months has been the highest over the most recent 15 years.

(With PTI inputs)