The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Steps to standardise homestays

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 01, 2008
ePaper

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Steps to standardise homestays

Staff Reporter

Training programmes being planned for homestay operators in Kumbalanghi

Stress on quality of service
Needed more homestays

KOCHI: The scenic beauty and the homestays offering the local flavour are without doubt the strength of Kumbalanghi, which was among the 15 rural villages of the country to be included in the Incredible India campaign of the Union Tourism Ministry last year.

At present, there are 25 homestays in Kumbalanghi. However, much needs to be done to raise the standards of these homestays. As District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said recently, though these homestays qualified under local standards, they were not sophisticated enough to host national and international tourists.

He said that training programmes in association with the State government were being planned for homestay operators and to familiarise them with modern amenities.

K.V. Thomas, MLA, a resident of Kumbalanghi, also agreed with this stating that standardising homestays to meet national and international parameters was important.

According to M.P. Sivadattan, chairman of Kumbalanghi Model Tourism Development Society, there is a need for more homestays, more so following the inclusion of Kumbalanghi in the Incredible India campaign.

He, however, vouches for the rich local experience the homestays offer to their guests, especially to the foreigners. The behaviour of the hosts at these homestays stands out and the guests are made to feel at home, he says.

Kitchens turn into culinary classes as the hosts share ways of preparing the ethnic food items of Kumbalanghi with their guests. From catching fish from the backwaters using Chinese fishing nets to turning them into delicacies on the dining table, the guests are made part of the entire practice, he says.

Mr. Sivadattan says that there have been instances of people from abroad coming to Kumbalanghi on receiving rave opinions about the place from their friends who had been here. “A British journalist came here and he wrote about Kumbalanghi on returning home. The very next year his friends came here with clipping of his report,” Mr. Sivadattan said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala