Srinagar, (UNI): Tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir has become the first destination to launch 10 home-stays under the ‘Crown of Incredible India project’.
‘Crown of Incredible India project’ is an initiative of the Jammu and Kashmir for rural home-stays at tourist destinations throughout the Union Territory in collaboration with OYO Rooms.
Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, Dr Piyush Singla said that the experiment of home-stay was started in Anantnag a few months ago and the overwhelming response has resulted in the project being up scaled at the UT level.
He said that all stakeholders have been taken on board during the discussion to ensure that the initiative fills the void in supply and meaningful employment opportunities are created for the youth.
He said that the initiative will be instrumental in boosting tourist footfall, both domestic and international.
Talking about the groundwork behind the initiative, Dr Singla said that concerted efforts were made by the district administration over the last few months and detailed planning went into making this initiative a success.
He said, the substantial impact that this project will have on the rural economy will be unprecedented and the youth should come forward and avail this opportunity.
This project will be a game changer in the field of rural tourism, Dr Singla added.
In Pahalgam, while 10 home-stays have already been registered and are live on the online portal, another 10-20 home-stays are being made operational very soon.
Several youth in picturesque Daksum, Verinag, Kokernag have also expressed their interest in setting up similar home-stays and efforts are underway to make this a reality soon.
Under the initiative, any resident can collaborate and provide residential accommodation to tourists.
The idea has been gaining prominence globally and is operational in various parts of the country. Home-stays provide an alternate sustainable source of income for the home-stay owners.
In collaboration with Mission Youth, JK the District Administration is currently exploring the possibilities of setting up home-stays in other prominent tourist destinations, with focus on those destinations that are yet to be explored due to infrastructural deficiencies.
The youth are being encouraged to become partnering entrepreneurs who will in turn fulfill three important goals: generate employment, boost tourist footfall and aid infrastructural capacity building for tourism with modest investment in hitherto unexplored destinations.
The project provides an unparalleled opportunity for empowerment of the youth, whose efforts can make this project instrumental in transforming the rural landscape in the UT, officials said.
