Gujarat govt announces home-stay policy for tourists

The Gujarat Government on Thursday unveiled 'Home-Stay' policy for national and global tourists wherein those who want to get the real feel of the state can have it by checking in at homes of locals and also taste the authentic Gujarati cuisine during their stay.

The policy will be a win-win situation for tourists as it allows house-owners to fix rent for their rooms, which means more options for the visitors.

Giving details, Tourism Minister Saurabh Patel said the Home-Stay policy is designed to overcome a huge rush of the national as well as international tourists visiting the state every year.

In addition, this new policy will give them (tourists) a chance to experience the Gujarati and Indian traditions besides the culture including food, by putting in with local families instead of staying in hotels.

"Tourism sector is booming in Gujarat with the number of tourists visiting the state is increasing every year. In 2013-14, around 2.8 crore tourists visited Gujarat, which is 13.3 per cent more than the previous year. Our aim is to tackle this rush and simultaneously provide them best services," Patel said. Under the policy, which is applicable across the state, any local having extra rooms at his/her residential premises can get registered with the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL).

Patel said the policy was also aimed at providing extra income to locals by allowing them to rent their rooms to tourists. "In coming days, we will issue a notification to invite applications from people who want to give extra rooms to tourists. After doing inspection of their premises, we will divide them into two categories - Silver and Gold- based on condition of rooms, hygiene, infrastructure, etc," the minister said, adding that the house-owner can decide the amount he wants to charge for letting the rooms to tourists.

After the approval from the department, the house-owners can put their advertisement on the TGCL website.

TCGL will work as a facilitator for the owners, who can put details and available rooms, food to be offered and expected rent on our website, which will help the tourists to identify the best suitable residence," Patel said.

As per the guidelines issued by the department, one house owner can not rent more than 6 rooms to tourists, and he is required to undergo police verification before renting the rooms to tourists.