India is a God gifted land boasts of a thousands of tourists attractions that draw tourists from all over the world. Today India is one of the world’s most visited tourist destination that have brought a unprecedented boom in country’s tourism industry. Since the beginning of this decade the Indian tourism industry is rapidly growing and it always mover towards a new high. A number of important factors were behind such growth in tourism industry, but the Indian government has also contributed a lot to promote tourism globally. At the same time the hotels, resorts, lodges and other accommodation options deserves some plaudits as the world class services offered by them make tourists trip to India pleasant and memorable.
For attracting the tourists from world over and making their travel hassle-free the Indian government introduce new-new attractive plans. Bed and Breakfast scheme is a new scheme launched by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. With the moto of providing comfortable accommodation facilties and standardized world clas services to the global tourists, and to supplement the availability of accommodation in the Metros and tourist destinations, Ministry of Tourism will classify fully operational rooms of Home Stay Facilities as “Incredible India Bed and Breakfast (B&B) Establishments”. Basic idea behind the ‘Bed and Breakfast scheme’ is to provide clean and affordabl accommodation place for foreigners and demestic tourists as well. Besides, the foreign tourists will also get an excellent opportunity to stay with an Indian family to experience Indian customs and traditions and relish authentic Indian
cuisine.
According to present plan the Bed and Breakfast facilities will be categorized into two categories namely (a) Siver (b) Gold). Bed and Breakfast establishments will have to apply for approval from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The Regional Classification Committee, as specified in the guidelines, will inspect and assess such establishments based on facilities and services offered. For approval of Bed and Breakfast establishments the details of the standards, facilities, services and the documents required will be as per these guidelines.
Once approved by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, the Bed & Breakfast Establishments will be duly publicized. Further a directory of all such approved Bed & Breakfast establishments will also be prepared, so as to enable domestic as well as foreign tourists to live in a homely environment and to take advantage of the scheme. Efforts will also be made to organize short term training in hospitality trade to those who would opt for such training.
Where to apply
Bed & Breakfast Establishments can send their applications along with the requisite fees to:-
1. Regional Director (North), Indiatourism,
88 Janpath, New Delhi
-110001.Tel: 011-23320005/8 (for States of Jammu &
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttranchal, NCT
of Delhi, UT of Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh except Agra and
Varanasi).
2. Regional Director (West), Indiatourism,
123 M. Karve Road,
Mumbai -400020.Tel: 022-22033144 (for States of Gujarat,
Chattisgarh, UT of Daman & Diu, Dadra Nagar Haveli and
Maharashtra except Aurangabad).
3 Regional Director (South), Indiatourism,
154 Anna Sallai,
Chennai -600002. Tel: 044- 28460193 (for States of Tamil
Nadu and UT of Lakshwadweep).
4 Regional Director (East), Indiatourism,
“Embassy”, 4
Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata -700071. Tel: 033 -22825813
(for States of West Bengal and Jharkhand).
5 Regional Director (North- East), Indiatourism,
Amravati Path,
Christian Basti, G.S. Road, Guwahati -781007. Tel: 0361-
2341603 (for States of Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland,
and Sikkim).
6. Director, Indiatourism,
KFC Building, 48 Church Street,
Bangalore -560001, Karnataka. Tel: 080-25585417 (for the
State of Karnataka).
7. Director, Indiatourism,
State Hotel, Khasa Kothi, Jaipur-
302001. Tel: 0141- 2372200 (for the State of Rajasthan).
8. Director, Indiatourism,
Sudama Palace, Kankar Bagh Road,
Patna-800020, Bihar. Tel: 0612-2345776 (for the State of
Bihar).
9. Manager, Indiatourism,
191, The Mall, Agra- 282001, Uttar
Pradesh. Tel: 0562-2226378 (for the city of Agra).
10. Manager, Indiatourism,
15-B, The Mall, Varanasi –
221001, Uttar Pradesh. Tel: 0542-2501784 (for the city of
Varanasi).
11. Manager, Indiatourism,
B/21B.J.B. Nagar,
Bhubaneshwar -751014, Orissa. Tel: 0674-2432203 (for the
State of Orissa).
12. Manager, Indiatourism,
Near Western Group of Temples,
Khajuraho -471606, Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07686-
242347 (for the State of Madhya Pradesh).
13. Manager, Indiatourism,
VIP Road, 189, IInd Floor, Port
Blair-744103, Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Tel: 03192-
236348 (for the UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands).
14. Manager, Indiatourism,
3-60-140, IInd floor, Netaji Bhawan,
Liberty Road, Himayat Nagar, Hyderabad -500029, Andhra
Pradesh. Tel: 040-23261360 (for the State of Andhra
Pradesh).
15. Manager, Indiatourism,
Willingdon Island, Kochi -682009,
Kerala. Tel: 0484-2668352 (for the State of Kerala).
16. Manager, Indiatourism, Communidade Building, Church
Square, Panaji -403001, Goa. Tel: 0832-2223412 (for the
State of Goa).
17. Manager, Indiatourism,
‘Krishna Vilas’, Station
Road, Aurangabad -431005, Maharashtra. Tel: 0240-
2364999 (for the city of Aurangabad).
18. Manager, Indiatourism,
U Tirot Singh Syiem Road, Police
Bazaar, Shillong -793001, Meghalaya. Tel: 0364-225632
(for the State of Meghalaya).
19. Manager, Indiatourism,
Sector ‘C’, Barapani Police Point,
Naharlagun -791110, Arunachal Pradesh. Tel: 0360-2244328
(for the State of Arunachal Pradesh).
20. Manager, Indiatourism,
Old Lambu Lane, Jail Road, Imphal -
795001, Manipur. Tel: 03852-221131 (for the State
of Manipur).
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Register your bed and breakfast with Bharathomestay
For guidelines and other info visit : http://incredibleindia.org/pdf/Incredible_India_Bed_Breakfast_Scheme.pdf
Kerala, the God’s own country, is witnessing manifold increase in tourist flow, mostly from Germany, Britain and France. The key to this phenomenon is “homestay”, which enables tourists to stay with local people. Enthused with the success of the concept, Rajasthan too is ready to try the concept on an experimental basis.
Globally, homestay is not a new concept. Under this arrangement, the host provides accommodation to the tourist in his own house. This concept has been a major hit with the student community. In South Korea, homestay has become an industry, churning in revenues for its citizens.
“The concept of homestay, is picking up momentum and the state is experiencing an increase in tourists inflow. The visitors are mostly from the West, who come and stay at the locales to get a first hand experience of the Malayalee lifestyle,” said Bharat Bhooshan, principal secretary, department of tourism, Kerala.
The state generated a revenue of Rs 992 crore (Rs 9.92 billion) from tourism last year, which is expected to increase by around 50 per cent in the next couple of years. It is, however, not known as to how much revenue is being generated through homestay.
According to the Kerala Tourism Department Corporations’ (KTDC) website, in 2003 61.65 lakh tourists visited the state which is growing at around 7 per cent per year. In Kerala, homestay began as a cottage industry in early 2003. A group of entrepreneurs started the move, which was later encouraged by the department of tourism and KTDC. An industry estimate shows that there are over 300 homestays in Kerala and the number is rising with the each passing day.
According to Thomas Zacharias, director, Kalpyso Adventures, homestay is much cheaper than booking a room at a resort or hotel. While booking a room at a hotel would cost around $100 per day, a homestay would cost $20-30 per day.
“Neither two homes are alike, nor their food. The thrill of living amid the milieu of the country is also another secret of its success,” said Jose Byju of Paradise Kerala, a tourism website. Tourists come to a particular home or locality after visiting the homestay websites. Word-of-mouth also plays a part in helping tourists decide.
Sources in the Union tourism ministry said that the government is looking at spreading the concept to other parts of the country, especially to Rajasthan, where it has already started taking roots.
Concerned over the rising incidents of foreign tourists being raped or molested, Rajasthan has decided to strengthen its tourism police force by inducting retired defence personnel for security.
Apart from recruiting more security personnel, the state also plans to increase their remuneration.
“We already have around 40 posts lying vacant. The details are being worked out for appointing more and a proposal in this regard would be sent to the state government soon,” an official said.
In the last two years, Rajasthan’s image of a safe tourist haven has been scarred by several instances of tourists, especially foreigners, being raped or molested.
In 2005, an auto-rickshaw driver and his accomplice in Jodhpur raped a 47-year-old German tourist. The two were sentenced to life imprisonment by a fast-track court within a month.
Biti Mohanty, son of a senior police officer of Orissa, raped a 26-year-old German student in Alwar in March 2006. Mohanty was found guilty and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by a fast-track court. But he jumped parole in December 2006 and has been absconding since then.
In April 2006, a Japanese woman was raped and robbed of Rs.54,000 by the son of a hotel manager in the holy city of Pushkar. Babloo, the main accused, was awarded seven years’ rigorous imprisonment.
Pushkar was in the news again when an American tourist complained of being molested just last month. Earlier in January, a British journalist alleged that she had been raped by a guest house owner in Udaipur. Known as the city of lakes, it attracts hordes of tourists year after year.
These shameful incidents had the Rajasthan tourism industry worried.
“These kinds of incidents bring bad name to the state. There has been a trend of people travelling alone, especially woman travellers, who would now be hesitant to come to the state,” said Sanjay Kaushik, a travel agent.
He said that the government must take quick, stringent steps to check these crimes and restore Rajasthan’s image.
The state, which boasts of several historical forts and palaces, the Thar desert and several religious shrines, saw a record arrival of 1.2 million foreigners and 17 million domestic tourists during the year 2005-06.
The rate of growth of tourism in Rajasthan has been phenomenal in the last few years - while the annual growth rate of domestic tourists has been seven percent, that of international tourists has been five percent.
— IANS
“WE ENTICE people from India’s hinterland to our land of beaches and booze. A fatal combination for those who have never seen an ocean, and liquor so cheap. A handful of untrained and underpaid lifeguards – however gallant their individual rescues – could have never stemmed the alarming tide of sea drowning deaths,” wrote noted Goan columnist Valmiki Faleiro in his Sunday column in the Goan Daily Herald.
The tourist season is at its peak in the Indian state of Goa. The monsoon fury at sea has faded away. Beach waves are lashing the shore at a galloping pace, but still much slower pace compared to the rainy season. The seawater is still choppy for you, if you do not know swimming and you are high on liquor. Swimming in the turbulent water is inviting trouble.
With at least one or two drowning deaths per week, Goa is increasingly gaining notoriety for the danger on its beaches. Numerous Indian tourists from various parts of the country invariably fall into the trap of just dipping their feet in the seawater or swimming in the shallow beach waters and end up getting dragged in by the undercurrent, only to be engulfed by the furious waves.
The alarming regularity of deaths by drowning in Goa has been a cause of concern. The small state known for its silvery beaches has gained notoriety for the ills of tourism like drugs, rave parties, sex tourism and mismanagement of garbage. It can now add one more to its list – tourist drowning on the Goan beaches!
But who is to be blamed for the deaths on the Goan beaches?
One thing is sure – to man, the entire 105-kilometer, or 65-mile coastline during the off-season is a herculean task for the tourism department. Most of the lifeguards employed by the tourism department are on daily wages. Around 69 lifeguards, deployed at 30 Goan beaches, had gone on strike to demand their services be regularised two years back.
Is the tourism department staff sufficient to meet the demands – that’s a debatable question.
But a couple of deaths during the festival season of Christmas and New Year has again raised to the surface the drowning deaths in Goa.
And during the tourism season, which starts in November and ends in the month of March, lifeguards have an uphill task. The grievance of the lifeguards is the lack of safety and rescue equipments provided by the department, which complicates matters when they undertake rescue operations at sea.
Most of the deaths occurring in Goa have been that of the Indian tourists coming to Goa for a monsoon holiday, and also drowning deaths of Indians during the peak tourism season.
The most notorious deaths are on the Calangute beach and also to some extent in Colva in south Goa. Figures show that around 234 lives have been lost due to drowning in the last five years.
Tourists are drawn to Goa to enjoy the sun, sand and sea – that is the way Goa is generally projected on the tourism scene. Swimming in Goan beaches is a pleasurable exercise.
Goan beachside hotels have their own private beach swimming pools meant to be exclusively used by their clients. Tourists coming to Goa are drawn towards swimming in the sea. Their folly is that they don’t realise that swimming in the sea requires a disciplined approach and a complete mastery over swimming.
Beaches are deceptive – serene on the outside but with strong undercurrents, which can pull you away from the shore. Even a good swimmer should remember that swimming in the sea and a pool is as different as chalk and cheese.
Coming to the rainy season, fishermen pull up their canoes into the fishing house, as fishing activity comes to a standstill in the rainy season.
Some time back, the tourism department had floated the idea of recruiting female lifeguards on the Goan beaches. The proposal to recruit tough women from the fisher fold community as lifeguards, however, was shelved for lack of takers from among the Goan girls.
One restaurant owner running a temporary enterprise during the season at the beach for the last 17 years, Dominic Alfonso, says that the tourism department should train shack owners and staff to help rescue people and also provide necessary equipments, as he feels that lifeguards cannot control the entire coastline.
Goa gets an average of 60,000 to 70,000 tourists every year.
So next time when you are in Goa, do not be enticed by the fatal combination of cheap liquor and the ocean, but thread a cautious path. If you are not careful and fortune fails to be by your side, then you may as well join the surging drowning death list.
Darjeeling, Jan 28: The Queen of Hills was blessed Saturday night. Visitors, who had prepared for a cold walk in the clouds, warmed up to a white Republic Day evening Jan 26 as flakes of snow covered the Himalayan hill station in West Bengal, nearly 800 km from the state capital Kolkata.
Darjeeling does not get snowfall too often. “I did not expect snowfall in Darjeeling this year. I am enjoying every moment. It is beyond our imagination. We will remember this experience forever,” said Pulak Bera from Kolkata, who is honeymooning in the hill station with her husband.
Places like Jalapahar, Ghoom, Jorebungalow, Tung, Dali and Three Mile in Darjeeling district in northern West Bengal were covered in ten centimetres of snow and the temperature touched two degrees Celsius. A severe cold wave has been sweeping through Darjeeling and Kurseong towns for the last seven days.
A shower Saturday evening brought the mercury down and the first report of snowfall came from Tiger Hill, at an elevation of 8,497 feet. The snowfall continued for over six hours till the wee hours of Sunday.
Places like Sandhapu and Falut, located at an altitude of more than 12,000 feet, lay under 30 centimetres of snow, reports said. “We cancelled our return and decided to stay back for some more days,” Bera added.
“I visited Darjeeling earlier this winter, but never experienced such snowfall here. The trees and the roads were decked in white,” said another tourist Asim Chatterjee. Last year, Darjeeling witnessed snowfall mid-February.
— IANS
