Mangalore, September 27: There is a need to create a conducive atmosphere with regard to homestays in Mangalore to boost tourism besides creating awareness about several myths concerning homestays, said N S Channappa Gowda, Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district.
He was speaking at a programme organized in the city as part of the World Tourism Day on Thursday.
Although homestays are licensed by the state government and are a tourism boosting concept, the recent attack at Morning Mist homestay in the city paved way for many misconceptions about the concept of homestay. There is a need to create a conducive atmosphere for tourists, he said.
Stating that the district needs to capitalize on its tourist inflow with about 90 lakh to 1 crore people visiting Dharmasthala, 45 lakh people visiting Subramanya temple, 15 lakh visiting Kateel temple and 14 lakh people visiting Kadri temple annually, Mr Gowda said that so far the district had failed to make these people visit other tourist destinations in the region. “Hotels need to have travel desks to guide tourists. There is a lot more to be done in terms of improving the infrastructure and providing basic facilities in our tourism destinations. We have not accepted tourists as well as Kerala and Goa have. There are lakhs of air passengers visiting Mangalore every year. The city being an educational hub, parents and relatives of students from other places come down to Mangalore and all these are opportunities that need to be looked at”, he said.
Ajith Kumar Hegde, Commissioner of MUDA, Mangalore, gave a presentation on homestays and the government norms for running a homestay. As per the rules, the owner of the homestay needs to be residing at the place of the homestay site, he said, besides informing that rooms in the homestay shall not exceed five and have minimum two rooms for tourists' accommodation. Aspects such as location of the homestay, easy access, food, bathrooms, hygiene and educational background of the owner of the homestay are also considered by the government prior to providing license based on a system of scores. If the homestay fails to get 50 marks or above, it does not qualify for a license, he said. Besides, proof of ownership and lease of the building and police clearance certificate are also essential, he said.
A homestay owner from the audience pointed out that although the concept of homestay is working well in Coorg and Chikmagalur, it has not yet gained popularity in Mangalore and hence the demand from the authorities that at least 5 other people need to apply for homestays for him to get a license is a rule that needs to be addressed. He also said that the government needs to ensure safety of tourists at the homestay as the image of homestays after the recent attack had taken a beating and tourist couples are hesitant to opt for homestays, he said. Responding to the remark, the Deputy Commissioner said that he will consider collecting of applications for homestays at district level so that more people are identified for licensing of the homestay and also assured coordination between other departments like the Department of Tourism, police, MESCOM etc, in terms of better understanding and reduction of harassment of homestay owners.
Gulzar Banu, Mayor, Harish Kumar, Commissioner of MCC, Mohammed Ameen, President of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, U Jitendranath, Assistant Director of Tourism, Mangalore, and Yatish Baikampady, Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project, were present among others.
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