Andhra Pradesh to Build Homestays to Boost Tourism in Agency
The district administration will provide loans under various schemes for purchase of basic equipment like refrigerators, AC machines and geysers.
Visakhapatnam: In an effort to promote the local tourism, the ASR district administration is planning to set up homestay units in a big way. Considered to be the best alternative to hotel accommodation, homestay helps tourists know about the local culture, cuisine and the people in its perfect aspect unlike hotel accommodation.
District collector A.S. Dinesh Kumar said they had initiated this new concept and identified the families and villages where the homestay units would be built in the first phase.
Dinesh Kumar told this newspaper that initially 300 units would be constructed up in Maredumilli, Lambasingi and Araku Valley with the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) and state housing funds.
“In the next two years, thousands of homestay units will come up all over the agency,” the collector said, adding, the new concept would boost tourism and create additional income to the tribal families.
He said each unit would have two rooms with double occupation with a daily cost of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 for each unit. The house owner would be given training in hospitality management, cooking and management, he noted.
The district administration will provide loans under various schemes for purchase of basic equipment like refrigerators, AC machines and geysers.
“Each unit will cost Rs 3 lakh and it can be further developed based on the income of the unit. The first phase of 300 units will start operation from this year beginning from October, the start of the annual tourist season as it has been much-awaited for years, he said.
The official said private agencies were charging Rs 2,000 for each tent and hotels fleecing as much as Rs 10,000 per day for a non-star room during the peak season.
Suggesting inclusion of tour operators in the management of homestays, an experienced agent Dheeraj Prah said the district tourism department needs to ensure food quality, sanitation and security for the tourists who even might come from abroad.
“Mosquitoes pose a great threat to the visitors. The local administration is required to take steps to create mosquito-free accommodation, Dheeraj said.