‘Home stay’ facility to beat Gujarat NRI rush

The friendly neighbourhood accommodation will be available for a rent which will be much less than the hotel tariffs.

Ahmedabad — As many as 5,000 rooms in most of the starred hotels in Ahmedabad are already booked ahead of the annual influx of non-resident Indians (NRIs) into Gujarat but the latter will not have any accommodation problem this time.

The state government has come out with a novel ‘home stay’ policy for national and global tourists who will be able to stay as paying guests in well-equipped rooms in the spacious houses of the locals.

The friendly neighbourhood accommodation will be available for a rent which will be much less than the hotel tariffs. What’s more, the boarders staying with local families will be able to experience the Indian, especially Gujarati, culture and traditions and enjoy the authentic local cuisine.

Depending on facilities provided to the tourists, the state-run Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) will decide and grant particular category— gold or silver — after scrutiny of properties and residents applying to offer the home stay facility. The host will be permitted to offer up to six rooms.

Tourism Minister Saurabh Patel told Khaleej Times that house owners would be allowed to fix rent for their rooms, thus offering many options for the visitors, adding that he expected 50,000 non-residents to visit Gujarat.

With hundreds of delegates also descending on the state for two important events — the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (January 7 to 9) and the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit (January 11 to 13), the home stay scheme had to be designed to overcome a huge rush.