MASTER OF URBAN AND RURAL PLANNING

Abstract

Although Homestays are a familiar concept abroad, they are at a nascent stage of development in India. The setups include local families and their channels outreach are, to date, word of mouth. Responding to the demand, online players such as indianhomestay.org , along with Saffronstays.com, MyIndianStay.com and cheersBye.com, which list over 1,000 properties across 70 locations on it, are coming up. OYO Rooms have segmented their budget to develop Homestays and service apartments as well. With over 30,000 listings in the country, Airbnb listings in India have seen a growth of 115% over the past year. Since some tourist destinations lie in remote areas, it becomes imperative to develop in those areas with minimum environmental impact. Uttarakhand Government, hence, sees Homestay development as a tool for strengthening Eco-Tourism. Catching the trend, this thesis delves into the available literature around Tourism in Uttarakhand and Homestays to establish the need for research. It also explores and compares state policies on Homestays. In an attempt to learn from the functional programs, it conducts Case studies from Kiangan in Phillipine, Sarmoli and Ladakh in India. Upon conducting surveys with both Homestay entrepreneurs and travellers, it infers a few recommendations. The thesis further conducts a feasibility test in four select villages to see if they can handle the load of a Homestay Program.