The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has formulated a National Strategy for Promotion of Rural Homestays—An Initiative towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Rural Homestays provide an authentic rural experience. The ‘Homestay’ provides the tourist accommodation, an authentic local experience and interaction with the local host community. It opens the possibilities to understand a new place and new communities. The visitor gets immersive experiences of the unique lifestyles of the diverse village communities in the region. The community benefits through the creation of employment opportunities in the region while locals are encouraged to make concerted efforts to preserve their traditional culture.
Depending on the geographic location and cultural ethos of the place, homestays provide tourists excellent opportunities to indulge in a variety of activities—such as touring the village to learn all about its history and heritage, customs and traditions; enjoying nature tours, trekking, participating in farm activities, learning a specialized local crafting skill or cooking local dishes, etc.
In a boarder framework homestays can open up opportunities for varied experiences such as: Heritage & Culture (Ethnic Tourism); Learning and education from the natural environment about rural lifestyle, art and culture (Ecotourism); Scenic Value (Nature Tourism); Religious value (Pilgrim tourism); Adventure/sports-based activities (Adventure tourism); Agrarian lifestyle (Agro Tourism).
Homestays and communities are complementary to each other’s progress and the development of one accelerates the development of others. The development of the community attracts increased turnover of guests, and guest turnover in turn generates income for the community.
Being owned and operated by the locals the economic benefits of operating a homestay go directly to them. Homestays can also help revitalize local art and crafts, redevelop rural areas and rejuvenate rural life. Interfaces with visitors help expand the knowledge and horizons of the local community.
The National Strategy for Promotion of Rural Homestays aligns with the national strategies for rural tourism and sustainable tourism. This strategy aims at recognizing the role of rural homestays in promoting rural and sustainable tourism and strengthening the support system for rural homestays.
The Ministry of Development of the North-East Region is responsible for the matters related to the planning, execution, and monitoring of development schemes and projects in the North-East Region. Its vision is to accelerate the pace of socio-economic development of the Region so that it may enjoy growth parity with the rest of the country. The local community is a key stakeholder and has to be taken on board for this. The Community has to be made aware of the benefits of Rural Homestays; their apprehensions, if any have to be allayed, and they have to be encouraged to participate and be part of the value chain. In order to ensure inclusive and responsible tourism, supplies and services should largely be sourced from local providers. Their capacity building will have to be done to ensure they become part of the supply chain.
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