Even as the Tourism Department boasts an investor-friendly approach, farmers who wish to set up farm tourism facilities and homestays on their properties in and around prominent ecotourism centres in the district say they are yet to get favourable consideration. The complicated application procedures coupled with tightened regulations have dampened the spirit of many aspiring rural investors in the sector.
“They say anyone can step into the homestay business as a self-employment venture. You realise the hurdles only when you approach authorities with the application. Even for a small project, you have to get multiple clearances from a number of government departments, in addition to unexpected payments,” says K. Baby, a farmer who lives close to the Vayalada ecotourism centre.
Mr. Baby gave up his dream homestay project after he realised that he had to invest at least ₹50,000 for getting the mandatory paperworks done. “I was not permitted to use the facilities at my small house for the homestay venture as it did not meet the tough guidelines set by the Tourism Department,” says he.
‘Disappointing’
A 35-year-old man who recently approached the Tourism Department with a proposal to start a farm tourism project near Balussery says the demands put forth by the Tourism Department were disappointing. “They told me the project could be given clearance only if I possessed at least 10 acres of agricultural land for the purpose. For a humble rural farmer, such stiff rules hardly mean any benefit,” he adds.
Panchayat support
Another rural entrepreneur in the homestay business in Balussery says he managed to get on track with his small project only with the support of the local grama panchayat. “The panchayat adopted a very flexible stance and they cleared all the local-body related formalities quickly. A similar approach was hardly imaginable on the part of the Tourism Department,” he says.
K. Johnson, a farmer from Koombara who was once part of a bigger homestay project with the participation of 20 households near Thusharagiri ecotourism spot, says they were forced to give up the project midway due to the poor treatment by the Tourism Department. “The grading process was the worst experience in our case and we realised that it would be possible only for big investors to survive in the sector,” he adds.
Specified guidelines
Meanwhile, Tourism Department officials say there are several successful homestays in the district, whose entrepreneurs manage to meet the specified guidelines. Of such successful units, 13 were included under diamond, gold and silver classifications meeting international standards, they add.
