Despite the relaxation in norms, there is not much interest shown in opening homestays in Mangaluru, which is one of the six urban centres identified by the State government for developing tourism.
The State government, through its order on October 13, 2016, said all homestays, including the proposed ones, have to be registered online. The applicant has to pay ₹500 as registration fee.
Among the stipulations laid down for the registration included that the applicant should be the owner of the house where the facility is being opened.
The house should be of a good standard and a maximum of five rooms should be set apart for guests. The rooms should be comfortable for guests and the house should have approachable roads.
There would be no objection to running animal husbandry, coffee cultivation and honeybee farming on the premises.
The applicants should get no-objection certificates from the police and the local urban body.
Assistant Director of Tourism, Dakshina Kannada, Tejamurthy, said that the new circular came into effect in November, 2016.
So far, only two persons have submitted applications for registration of their homestays.
While one is near the A.J. Hospital the other is in Bejai. The two have to get no-objection certificates from the city police and Mangaluru City Corporation.
Mr. Tejamurthy said that following submission of no-objection certificates they would submit a report about compliance of norms to the head office.
The two homestays in operation, one on the outskirts of the city and another in Arasinamakki, near Dharmasthala, are yet to submit their applications online, he said.
Stakeholders said that a lack of support from the State government was the cause for a lack of interest in opening homestays in and around Mangaluru. “We need more support and backing of the government departments. The issues concerning us should be addressed in right earnest,” said Suresh Mathias, who has been running homestays for over a decade.
Chief Executive Officer of the Panambur Beach Development Project Yatish Baikampady said that problems faced by operators at present was making many households prefer running guest houses.
