Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Kerala Tourism signs MoU to promote home-stays

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mahindra Holidays and Resorts Ltd. (MHRIL) to market and promote home-stays in the State globally.

The MoU was signed by Kerala Tourism Director M. Sivasankar and MHRIL managing director Ramesh Ramanathan in the presence of Minister for Industries and Commerce Elamaram Karim and vice-chairman and managing director of Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. Anand Mahindra in the capital.

The agreement would address the burgeoning accommodation needs in the fast-growing tourism sector, spread the benefits of tourism to the local community, promote home-stays as a supplement to hotels and also offer tourists an authentic experience of traditional hospitality.

MHRIL will market home-stays overseas as an experiential holiday product through its innovative portal www.mahindrahomestays.com. The non-exclusive MoU will be in force for five years from September 5.

Accordingly, MHRIL will classify, rate, brand and market Kerala home-stays in select overseas markets, starting immediately with the United Kingdom, a key market for Kerala. They will also train home-stay owners in improving their operations.

According to Mr. Sivasankar, the agreement will be a successful move towards wooing the alert, independent traveller in search of experiential holidays. It will help bring more than 350 classified home-stays scattered across various destinations in Kerala under a single platform.

The MoU will immensely benefit home-stays in the State as it will give them more market access and increased occupancies. The home-stays will be jointly marketed during trade fairs held in the domestic and international markets. Kerala Tourism will also approve MHRIL to use its distinguishing logos, trademarks and taglines for the successful marketing of home-stays.

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

Stories in this Section

Incentive for bamboo corporation workers
BSNL offer
Chengara: activists meet Governor
Cashing in on festive spirit
Politics can wait when it comes to students
Bid on to get compensation for people of Plachimada
Aircraft imported
Kerala Tourism signs MoU to promote home-stays
Action plan for TB control
Onam greetings
Three-wheeler taps the sun to run
Tanker lorry drivers go on strike
Crime Branch to seek Sabarinath’s custody
Rabies drive: back to ABC
Airport contract workers threaten exporters
Onam shoppers rule city roads

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu