Sikkim To Conduct Survey to Strengthen and Regulate Homestay Tourism

GANGTOK: The Sikkim government is taking steps to enhance its homestay tourism sector by commissioning a comprehensive survey across the state. The state tourism and civil aviation department has hired a private firm to carry out the survey, which is expected to continue until February next year.

Currently, there are around 1,600 homestays in the Himalayan state, and out of these, nearly 1,000 are registered with the tourism department. This survey will be useful for assessing the quality and scope of services offered by the homestays, to point out areas for improvement, and to present an organised and attractive tourism experience.

Authorized teams from the department will go to every homestay to collect critical information on location, type of accommodation, room count, services available, the kind of cuisine served, and the status of kitchens and other associated infrastructure. This data will help the state prepare a more structured policy on homestays and induce others to register with the new norms.

The industry stakeholders, among whom are Lukendra Rasaily, adviser to the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS), have welcomed the initiative. Rasaily mentioned that the survey would give the state the data it so desperately needs for monitoring and promoting homestays to ensure sustainable growth for the local hosts as well as the broader tourism sector.

Unlike its neighbor West Bengal, which has already established guidelines for the sector, Sikkim is yet to draft a formal policy for homestays. This survey is being seen as a very important step towards improving the state's tourism infrastructure.

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