Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday launched a dedicated homestay registration portal, http://homestay.hp.gov.in, designed to simplify the administrative process. The new platform allows operators to complete their registration online, ensuring a user-friendly experience from the comfort of their homes.
The Chief Minister emphasised that the state government is committed to facilitating hotel owners and homestay operators to ensure that their businesses remain unhindered by bureaucratic hurdles. In a significant move to support the hospitality industry, the Chief Minister issued clear directives that the renewal of registration of homestays must not be stalled under the pretext of Fire No Objection Certificates (NOCs). He instructed the Tourism Department to grant provisional registrations to such establishments, ensuring that business operations and maintenance can proceed without harassment or unnecessary obstruction.
Highlighting the vast potential of the state’s tourism landscape, Sukhu noted that the Homestay Scheme is a cornerstone of the government’s strategy to promote self-employment. The initiative aims to boost rural tourism and attract draws visitors to the state’s untouched, lesser-known destinations. To maximise these opportunities, the government has expanded the scheme’s scope to include urban areas, allowing the registration of homestays with a capacity of up to six rooms.
The Chief Minister underscored that homestays offer a unique value proposition, providing tourists with an authentic “homely” experience through traditional village architecture and local cuisine. He remarked that serving traditional dishes not only enriches the tourist experience, particularly for foreign visitors, but also significantly boosts the income of local homeowners.
To further incentivise the sector, the Chief Minsiter highlighted the introduction of an interest subsidy scheme designed to assist people in setting up, expanding, or upgrading tourism units. Under this initiative, the state provides interest subsidies of three per cent in urban areas, four per cent in rural areas, and five per cent in tribal regions on term loans.
Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board Vice Chairman R.S. Bali joined the occasion virtually, while Principal Adviser (Media) to the Chief Minister Naresh Chauhan, Principal Secretary Devesh Kumar, and Director of the Tourism Department Vivek Bhatia were present in Shimla.
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