More focus needed on homestays: Minister

Tourism Minister Anil Kumar has said that over one crore tourists visited the state in 2011, which was unprecedented. He was speaking at the valedictory function of the fourth annual conference and workshop of the Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society (Kerala HATS) on Saturday.

Though the worldwide economic crisis has affected the tourism sector across the globe, it has not affected the flow of tourists to Kerala. “The state has become a popular destination among European tourists. But we have to engage in more development activities to make Kerala one of the best in the tourism sector,” the minister pointed out.

Homestays have contributed a great deal to the growth of tourism in the state. “The State Electricity Regulatory Commission has authorised domestic tariff for homestays, which has been a demand for a long time by the people involved in the business. More steps to revise the taxation of homestays would be considered. There would be integrity in all the rules and regulations related to the tourism sector,” he said.

He stated that public participation is also essential for the success of tourism in the state. Awards were given to some of the best homestays in the state. Dominic Presentation MLA also spoke. Union Minister K V Thomas, who inaugurated the annual conference and workshop, compared homestays to ducks that would lay golden eggs.

Policies conducive to homestay business should be drafted. The UDF government has taken several steps in this regard, he said. On the occasion, K V Thomas released a book titled ‘Homestay Business’, written by Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies principal B Vijayakumar.