Kerala bets on homestays to boost tourism

KOCHI: Homestays are gradually gaining a foothold in the tourism map of Kerala. They promote a different brand of tourism, one which combines the elements of farm, cultural and pilgrim tourism targeting foreign tourists. The recently concluded Kerala Travel Mart had showcased homestays, many of them coming on the tourism scene for the first time.

In most cases the ancestral house or estate bungalow is being converted to a homestay with a little bit of refurbishment. Kerala Tourism Department is working on a strategy to promote homestays. “We are in the process of evolving a comprehensive marketing strategy for homestays accredited by us. We will promote them in the tourism fairs we participate,” says Tourism Director B Suman.

Additionally, the department is also trying for subsidy for marketing since most of the homestays lack resources for brand promotion. On a rough count there will be around 100 homestays in Kerala, out of which around 30 should be active, according to V Siby George, managing director of Kerala.com, which has compiled a book on homestays.

“Homestays are able to bestow personal attention to the tourists, which is their key attraction point. The occupancy level is high in the homestays in tourist destinations,'' he says. The average tariff is anywhere between $40 to $100 for a couple. Kottayam district leads in the number of homestays while Malabar region is fast catching up.

“There was good response to homestay stalls in the KTM, many of which have been started by retired professors, housewives and farmers,'' says Jose Dominic, managing director of cgh earth and president of Kerala Travel Mart Society.Wayanad Tourism Organisation, a group of 22 entrepreneurs in the travel and hospitality sector formed to promote Wayanad, is plugging seven homestays in the region.