Local touch for tourists in abode of clouds
- Meghalaya tourism department floats scheme to enable home stay in tribal
ambience BIDHAYAK DAS A cottage in Shillong. A Telegraph
picture Shillong, Feb. 7: If you have ever longed to stay in the cosy
Assam-type cottages that dot Meghalayas green hills and experience the local
ambience, your wish may soon come true.
The state tourism department has come up with a scheme that will enable
tourists to stay in private cottages as paying guests.
The departments director, T. Dkhar, said the concept would open up
opportunities for tourists to stay with a local family, experience the local
way of life and discover our rich culture and cuisine. The interest is more on
learning about the tradition and heritage of a state and what better way than
staying with a local family and getting to know it first hand.
Dkhar said the department would start the scheme very soon with support from
the India Tourism Development Corporation.
The proposal to launch the paying guest scheme to attract domestic and
foreign tourists was mooted in 2001. Dkhar hopes to give it shape before the
end of this year.
The scheme envisages accommodation in suitable localities all over the state
with easy accessibility to transport.
Senior officials of the tourism department said structures would be set up to
suit the local environment and guests needs.
We may not have 10 rooms as is normally required of a resort-type
accommodation, but we will have rooms of suitable sizes with attached
bathrooms, Dkhar said.
The government is encouraging local residents to register themselves with the
tourism department. It has made arrangements to provide soft loans and
subsidies for renovation of properties, which is two-thirds of the capital
cost. A maximum of Rs 1 lakh will be provided under the paying guest scheme.
The government has also agreed to waive local, sales and luxury taxes as the
paying guest homes would only provide bed-and-breakfast and clean toilets,
tourism department officials said. The guests would have the liberty of cooking
their own meals or eating in nearby restaurants.
The scheme is expected to set the trend for real time tourism and pave the
way for development of the state tourism sector into an industry.
Deborah Marak, the chairperson of Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation
and former tourism minister, sees the scheme as the path to economic
development.
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