There’s good news for people planning to start a homestay in Uttarakhand. The state government has introduced new rules to make the Homestay Scheme more organized, transparent,
and beneficial for genuine local residents. The updated rules also aim to improve the quality of tourist accommodation and prevent misuse of the scheme.
New Homestay Registration Rules
Under the revised rules, a homestay must have at least 5 rooms and no more than 8 rooms to qualify for registration. The total number of beds cannot exceed 24.
The government has also changed the land ownership and eligibility rules. Only permanent residents of Uttarakhand will be allowed to register a homestay.
In addition, the homestay must operate from a residential property where the owner or their family lives permanently.
Scheme Started to Support Rural Families
The Uttarakhand government launched the Homestay Scheme in 2015 to boost rural employment, promote tourism, and reduce migration from villages.
In 2018, the scheme was merged with the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Homestay Development Scheme.
This gave homestay owners access to several benefits, including subsidies and relief in commercial electricity and water charges.
More Than 5,000 Homestays Already Operating
At present, more than 5,000 registered homestays are operating across Uttarakhand. However, the government says that some people misused the scheme even though it was created to support local residents.
To stop such misuse, the government has approved new regulations. Under the updated system, homestay registration will now be allowed only in rural areas and municipal council areas.
More Tourism Units Included
According to Nainital District Tourism Officer Atul Bhandari, the revised policy has expanded the list of tourism units covered under the rules.
Hotels, motels, resorts, tent colonies, nature camps, bed and breakfast properties, heritage hotels, service apartments, tourist villages, yoga
and Ayurveda resorts, dharamshalas, houseboats, and community-based tourism units are now included.
The government believes these changes will improve service quality, increase transparency, and provide better facilities for tourists.
At the same time, the new rules are expected to create more jobs in hill villages, strengthen the local economy, and help reduce migration from rural areas.
