Seminar on Home Stays & Sustainable Tourism

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, September 19, 2018: A seminar on Home Stays and Sustainable Tourism was held today at Sangai Hall, Hotel Imphal. The seminar was organized by Manipur Tourism as a part of ‘Paryatan Parv 2018’ celebration.

Director, Manipur Tourism, W. Ibohal Singh said the department was in the process of preparing guidelines of home stay for the state in line with the guidelines issued by the ministry of tourism. The department was also planning to provide training to the registered home stay owners and district wise awareness regarding importance of home stay development to the public, he further added.

Knowing the purpose of the visit of a tourist was very important for the growth of tourism sector and Home stays would take a major role in promoting Manipur Tourism by creating an emotional attachment between the tourist and home owners. Development of Rural Tourism should be the first priority for a developing state like Manipur, where there is slow advancement of technology, he added.

Assistant professor, Manipur University, Dr. Irengbam Rubita, who was one of the speakers in the seminar, said sharing of authentic experiences and cultural exchanges between the guest and the owner was a distinctive feature of a home stay, which made it different from a hotel. She also shared knowledge about the necessities of a home stay like rural settings, various activities to be done by home stay owners, principles to be used in developing home stay, product line of home stay, Manipur accommodation sector.,etc.

Owner (Maipakchao Family Home stay) Maipakchao Oinam and Founder (WAHPS) M. Krishnakanta also shared their experiences regarding home stay and sustainable tourism. Among the others who attended the seminar were deputy director, Tourism, M. Kapajit Singh, officials of tourism department and students of Manipur University and JCRE.

Paryatan Parv is being observed across the country since September 16 to continue till 27 under the aegis of the ministry of tourism and in collaboration with other central ministries, state governments. The celebration is aimed at drawing focus in the benefits of tourism while showcasing the cultural diversity of the country and reinforcing the principle of “Tourism for All”.