Homestays are here to stay

Fewer guests, less staff, a taste of rural life is making Himachal’s homestays the most preferred option for tourists

Pratibha Chauhan

Having held back going on a holiday for almost a year, people are now yearning to step out of the confines of their homes. However, not willing to compromise on the safety aspect, homestays are fast emerging as the most favoured option for those willing to venture out. The cosy homestays are being preferred by tourists who are finding these smaller units relatively safe due to fewer guests and less staff, more so when travel abroad is almost ruled out due to restricted international flights and fear of infection.

The shift in preference from big hotels to homestays is more than evident with majority of such units, ranging from four to six bedrooms, being flooded with queries. “There was no dearth of people seeking solace of the mountains in secluded places away from the hustle-bustle of popular hill stations. Post-Covid, however, this preference for homestays has caught up,” says Ankit Sood, whose

homestay Sunshine Himalayan Cottage in Banjar, in Tirthan valley in Kullu, has been getting long-term guests who wish to experience rural lifestyle. He is also being approached by many homestay unit owners to register with the idea of “Work from Mountains” which already has 14 registered homestay units, located in Himachal and Uttarakhand.

Several homestays have come up in the serene valleys of Sainj, Tirthan and Beas in Kullu, Barot in Mandi, Bir in Kangra, Sal in Chamba and most parts of Spiti and Kinnaur. Home stays in rural areas offer a glimpse into the local culture, traditions and offer cuisine and farm fresh products like vegetable, fruits, besides jams and jellies. Keen to capitalise in on this emerging trend, several apple orchard owners have started homestays on their farms. One such entrepreneur Ankur Chauhan, who chose to start a homestay at his orchard in Kotkhai this year isn’t regretting his decision one bit.

The situation is no different for former journalist Sanjay Austa, who returned to his native place Ratnari in the Kotkhai area of Shimla. “I have had enough of Delhi and wanted to return home but didn’t wish to do what most others were doing here, which was growing apples,” he says candidly. It was amid much pessimism on the part of the family of a tourism unit doing well in such a place that he turned the old dilapidated house into a home stay, replete with hill architecture, amidst typical rural settings.

Today, he has good business, courtesy his writing skills to sell his destination, besides the word of mouth which is the most trusted option. “To ensure the safety of all our guests as well as staff, it is mandatory have a RT-PCR Covid negative report to be able to stay here,” says Austa. This is in sharp contrast to most hotels, or even homestays, which do not wish to drive away guests with this rigorous condition.

“It is very clear that people want to stay at small lodges and orchard houses being run as homestay as the safety norms would be high considering that the place has limited capacity and small staff,” admits a travel agent. He says the shift is evident with family and friends travelling together and putting up at homestays.

The number of hotels and homestays registered with the state tourism department in Himachal is 3,679 and 2,305 respectively. “The number of homestays in the state till December 31, 2019, was 2,189. Now the number stands at 2,305”, revealed sources in the tourism department. However, the exact number of hotels and homestays in the state is far higher, with a large number of them operating without registration with the tourism department.

Though the Kullu district has the highest number of 638 homestays, followed by 334 in Shimla district and 268 in Kangra, interestingly it is the small tribal district of Lahaul Spiti with a relatively large number of 258 homestays that has surprised many. It is but natural for majority of the popular tourist destinations located in Kullu-Manali, Shimla district and Mcleodganj-Dharamkot to have homestays but the increasing number of homestays in Lahaul Spiti indicates the preference of visitors to explore newer destinations, away from crowded urban habitations. A total of 61 new homestays were registered within this year in Kullu district, the number was 29 in Kangra district, clearing showing the trend towards popularity of this new concept.

The fact that homestays, located in the rural areas offer ample adventurous activities like trekking among others, makes them even more desirable. The new mantra of healthy living to boost immunity against disease like Covid has rather come as a blessing in disguise for the owners of homestays, much to the chagrin of hoteliers. With uncertainty prevailing around Covid and for how long it will last, this preference for homestays seems to be here for some time.

In conflict with hotel industry

While hotels continue to reel under the severe impact of Covid, homestay units have been the beneficiaries of this shift. As expected, this has resulted in direct conflict with the beleaguered hotel industry crying hoarse over its loss due to the pandemic. “While the hotel industry is on the brink of a wipe off, the vast majority of illegal homestays and B& B have benefitted without having to pay any taxes or revenue to the government, which is unfair for we hoteliers, who have taken huge loans and have to foot several taxes,” rues Sanjay Sood, president of the Shimla Hoteliers Association.

“The mushrooming growth of illegal accommodations, being run through online travel portals and touts, has badly affected the business of hotels and genuine registered homestay and B&B units. The occupancy of hotels and registered units is declining because online travel companies are offering accommodation at a prices as low as Rs 450 to Rs 500 per day through their portals,” says Mohinder Seth, president of the Shimla Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association. He argues that the hotel industry can’t afford to give accommodation at such a low price considering staff salaries, heavy taxes, water and electricity bills on commercial rates. Various hoteliers associations have demanded a check on the illegal homestays across the state, which can be run only in panchayats in rural areas. However, the conflict in urban areas is with bed and breakfast units which are running through online bookings.

Though under the HomeStay scheme of Himachal Tourism, a maximum of four rooms without a restaurant for commercial purpose is allowed but under the B&B scheme of Government of India, six rooms are allowed.