RT Mission mulls 1000 home stays, 300 farm houses

In an effort that would push forward long-term sustainability measures in the Kerala tourism scenario, the state’s Responsible Tourism Mission has braced itself to help local communities in setting up as many as 1000 new home stays and 300 farm houses.

With potential entrepreneurs from the tiny hamlet of Thiruvarppu in Kottayam (Kerala) having come forward evincing interest in joining hands with the project, the Responsible Tourism Mission organized a meeting with applicants from the region who are keen on setting up home stays and farm houses on January 26 at the Kanjiram Service Cooperative Bank auditorium. The Responsible Mission, in fact, sees the first set of applications from Thiruvarppu as potential startup ventures in the tourism arena of Kerala and that they would prompt many others too to come forward and make known their interest in being part of the project.

As per the plan, proposals to set up home stay and farm house startups would be encouraged by the Responsible Tourism Mission, and the initiatives that would be rolled out on this front would ensure participation of the local communities of the area wherever such tourism projects are being planned.

The Responsible Tourism Mission believes that the home stay startups would be part of Kerala Tourism’s eco-friendly initiative where the native population would be invited to play hosts at temporary halts and resting places, and tourists could be provided with a glimpse of the local life, traditional culture, and culinary delicacies in the course of their Kerala jaunt. The Responsible Tourism Mission would also look to ensure that the local communities would benefit much, thanks to the entrepreneurial possibilities and employment opportunities these startups would offer.

K Rupesh Kumar, RT Mission

“As part of the initiative, the Responsible Tourism Mission will also provide training to those who wish to join hands in opening home stays and farm houses anywhere in the state. Training will also be imparted to those who are keen on setting up Home Stays as part of the Vaikkom Pepper project. A training programme to this effect has been scheduled for February 15 to 20 at Thiruvarppu and Ayemanam Panchayats,” said Sri K Roopesh Kumar, Coordinator, Responsible Tourism Mission.

Those interested in joining the project so as to create an ecosystem for the setting up of home stay and farmhouses at any destination in Kerala may send in their applications addressed to ‘The State RT Mission Coordinator, Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission, Dept. of Tourism, Park View, Thiruvananthapuram’ before February 10. Applications may also be mailed to rtmission@rtkerala.com.