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Challenges & Strategic Interventions For Tourism The Indian Experience

4 Potential of Homestays as Tourism Product in Sikkim Charu Sheela Yadav, Pawan Gupta, Rinzing Lama

Introduction As in times past, one of the strongest motivation for travel today is interest in the natural environment and in heritage, arts, history, language, customs and cultures of people in other lands. The opportunity to observe how others live, think and interact with their environment exerts a powerful attraction. Travellers may seek to experience examples of a locale’s arts, music, painting, sculpture, architecture, celebrations and festivals, or the cultural attraction may be food, drink, entertainment or some other form of hospitality. (Edgell, Allen, Smith & Swanson) Travelling has always been to seek new experiences. The new form of technologies and urbanisation has changed the lifestyle of people tremendously. A large chunk of population is moving to metropolitans and urban areas for better job opportunities and also good living standards provided. The urban lifestyle provides very little opportunity to relax in serene environments. This urges the people to take holidays and move to quiet and serene areas. The discretionary income, discretionary time, status and prestige, reduced family sizes are some of the factors which has added to the growth of tourism. New forms of tourism like cultural tourism, eco tourism, nature based tourism, agri tourism, village/ rural tourism, volunteer tourism suggest the growing demand of tourism where it brings a tourist close to natural environment and host community. Concept of Homestays Home Stay refers to a visit to somebody’s home in a foreign country which allows visitors to rent a room from a local family in order to learn local culture, lifestyle, or language. It is a living arrangement offered by a host or host family that involves staying in their furnished house. The guest of a home stay would be staying in home-like accommodation with shared living spaces,

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facilities, and amenities. Utilities and meals are usually included and the length of stay could be daily, weekly, monthly, or unlimited unless specified otherwise by the host (Rivers, 1998). Apart from accommodation Home Stay offer a range of activities which give guests the unique opportunity to experience the specific culture of the area. Activities will differ from home to home and depending on the location. For instance activities at a home stay in Thailand can range from giving morning alms to monks, learning how to weave silk or cotton cloth, participating in agricultural activities, to going on nature tours, learn a skill practiced by local villagers, such as making local handicrafts or cooking Thai food. In Japan one can learn dollmaking art. In India many Homestays in Kerala offer backwater cruises in houseboats and trips down the narrow canals in canoes. In Rajasthan some Homestays arrange safaris by jeep or horseback into the countryside, to visit tribal villages and spot wildlife. In plantation and hill stations, hosts can take guests trekking and arrange guided walks through spice gardens and forests. Depending on the family, many hosts will offer to take guests round the sights of their town or village, sharing local insights and an experience far removed from the usual tourist trudge. Home stays aren’t just a base from which to spend a few days exploring the local area, they are a holiday destination in themselves. Frederick (2003) also defined the homestay as a stay by a tourists or a visiting foreign student who is hosted by a local family. Homestay can occur in any destination worldwide; residents of homestay countries encourage homestays in order to develop their tourism industry. Also homestays as a concept, brings people from varied backgrounds under a single roof, quite literally, and offers an ideal platform for long lasting friendships. Homestays in India India, since time immemorial has been in the priority list of all the globe trotters. India spans a geographical region that stretches from mighty mountain ranges in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south, from deserts in the west to deltas in the east. In India, many cultural, social, religious and regional strands come together to make a truly unique tapestry. Each state is unique in its cultural and natural formation. India has been known for its hospitality. Indian tourism has taken a leap with the concept of homestays becoming the new mantra in the hospitality scenario. This unique way of truly experiencing the pulse of the place is fast catching up with not only tourists but also the hosts. The Indian adage ‘atithi devo bhava’ or ‘Guest is God’ is truly lived up to by homestays in India where the guest is welcomed with delight to the home. Indians consider it a huge honour to have guest in their home, and go out of their way to please them. The visitors staying in homestays get to experience true Indian hospitality. A tourist's visit to India can be made memorable with the Homestay Units offered to them. The state tourism departments in India have introduced the concept of homestays. Kerala, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, New Delhi, NCR, Goa, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Gujarat are the states to have introduced the concept of homestays. Ministry of Tourism, Government of

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India initiative in this direction has been the 'Bed And Breakfast' Scheme. Under this scheme comfortable home-like, clean and affordable accommodation facilities are provided to the tourists. The scheme gives the foreign tourists an opportunity to experience the customs and traditions and relish the authentic cuisine of India during their stay with an Indian family. The Regional Classification Committee inspects and assesses the Bed and Breakfast Establishments on the parameters of the services offered by them. Karnataka tourism policy emphasizes on developing a network of home stays across the state and brands it as 'Atithi'. The home stays will be minimally regulated and will be treated as a noncommercial venture. They can be compared with the "Bed & Breakfast" of the western countries. Rajasthan tourism policy has Paying Guest Scheme. The scheme of paying guest launched by Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan on World Tourism Day (27th September 1991) has been very popular with domestic and international tourists. This scheme is in operation in nine cities of Rajasthan. Care had been taken to ensure that only such houses and families are identified and registered with the Department of Tourism who will serve the purpose and will offer adequate and suitable facilities to the tourist. The Himachal Pradesh Government has also taken this innovative step by introducing Home Stay Scheme thus providing comfortable homestay facilities of standardized world class services to the tourists, and to supplement the availability of accommodation in the rural tourist destinations. The basic idea is to provide a clean and affordable place for foreigners and domestic tourists alike including an opportunity for foreign tourists to stay with Himachali families to experience Himachali customs and traditions and relish authentic Indian/Himachali cuisine. Guidelines for Approval and Registration of Homestay Units in India The State Tourism Departments in India follow more or less same guidelines for homestays in their respective States. The guidelines are as follows: 1.

Homestay Project shall be considered only if the owner of homestay facility resides in the place of homestay facility. 2. The Number of rooms provided by the owner of Home Stay facility should be minimum one room and should not exceed five rooms. 3. The room accommodation of minimum standard sizes with attached toilet facility, reasonably furnished and ready for letting out to the tourists/guests as prescribed under the scheme. For example under Home Stay Scheme of Himachal Pradesh Government, the standard size for double and single bed room accommodation is 120 Sq.ft. and 100 Sq.ft. respectively and 30 Sq .ft.for bathroom / toilet. 4. The Home Stay Units being run by the families having ownership shall be treated as non-commercial activities.

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5. Registration and classification is compulsory to avail the facility under this project. 6. A Police Clearance certificate from Local Station House Officer shall to be submitted along with the application. 7. Since the place of home stay units stands as a part of household and comes within agricultural, plantation, natural and cultural area the position of home stay places continues as it is. The house owners of home stay Project shall not alienate the land other than the purpose for which it is being used at present. 8. At least one of the family members should be able to communicate in English. 9. The houses in areas of tourism importance will get priority. 10. Home Stay units must ensure the location, facilities, surrounding environment, hygiene, cleanliness, security, architectural designs and safety of the tourist. 11. Any proprietor/owner of a private house located in an appropriate area of the State (rural area in case of Himachal Pradesh) has to apply in the prescribed proforma provided by the Department of Tourism, of respective States for approval/registration of the Home Stay Unit. 12. The selection of the home-stays from among the applicants will be done by a committee appointed by Government for the purpose, based on the following criteria;  Location of the house  Quality of house and surrounding areas in terms of facilities & hygiene for offering to tourists.  Access  Educational and professional background of the applicant and family members.  Tourist attraction of the area. The committee for classification of Home stays units constituted by Government for the purpose will visit the unit and if found satisfactory with the facilities recommend to Department of Tourism for the classification of the unit. The order on classification will be issued by Department of Tourism of respective States. Tenets of Home Stay Units The home stays are accommodations provide firsthand experience to the tourists. Following principles are used in developing the homestays so that the overall experience of the tourist is satisfactory and also the host community is benefited.

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Product Line of Homestays

The most important part of homestays is the accommodation and the amenities provided. It varies from place to place throughout the globe because of the cultural and physical uniqueness. The important products offered by home stays have been discussed in general. 1.

Accommodation: The homestays are in the houses of the locals. The houses are built on the regional/local architecture of the area. All over India there are many different types of homes, their various architectural styles are typical of the area they are found in, the history of their owners and a range of social and religious traditions. There are the Havelis of Northern India and the Tharavadu houses in Kerala, the planters’ mansions on tea and spice plantations and the colonial bungalows. The homestay and the rooms have furniture of local flavour. The homestays may retain cowsheds, goathouse, herb garden, kitchen garden, honey comb etc as attractions. Rooms are single, double and twin. The rooms have attached private bathrooms with every room along with toiletries.

2.

Cuisines: Meals form very integral part of stay in homestays. The local cuisine is served to the guests. At times delicious organic food is picked fresh and cooked straight from the garden and jungle. The food is eaten with the family.

3.

Amenities: Apart from the accommodation, there are other features which are required for a comfortable stay. This comes in the form of amenities like laundry service, television in rooms/lobby, parking, wake-up call, mineral water, heating in rooms (as per the weather conditions), babysitting or child care , complimentary newspaper, non-Smoking , alcohol allowed .

4.

Local Activities: Each area specialises in different activities because of the geographical location as well as the socio-cultural milieu of each place is distinct. The activities might also differ from day and night. Homestays give a real feeling of local culture and also gets an opportunity to learn about all sorts of local customs and traditions. Some of the local activities enjoyed are as follows:     

Lifestyle exploration through village walk Visiting ethnic groups Helping to milk the cow and churning, grinding corns, husking participating in the daily or seasonal chores with family. Cultural shows Tradition massage

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5. Sight Seeing: The homestays are located in the natural surroundings, places of historical and cultural importance. Thus the scope of sight seeing is immense. The family members of homestays or locals can prove good guides and provide good company.      

Village tour Camping, Boating, Campfire, Fishing, Walks and hikes to caves, lakes and waterfalls Visit to tea gardens/spices plantations/rubber plantations Elephant safari Plantation Visits

Methodology The present study is based on the survey undertaken by direct interview. The fourteen owners of homestays at Kewzing were interviewed. The study has been done by collecting data from the government agencies, Kewzing Tourism Development Committee (KTDC) who are associated with tourism development activities in Kewzing. Case Study Sikkim is a small mountainous State in the Eastern Himalayan region extending approximately 114 km from North to South and 64 km. From East to West, having a total geographical is 7096 sq.km . The state has four districts namely East, West, North and South, Nine sub-division and eight towns. Sikkim is the 22nd state of India, spread below Mt. Kanchendzonga (8598 mt.), the third highest mountain in the world. The State is bestowed with abundant natural resources. Sikkim is diverse in culture and traditions. Three important communities living in Sikkim are the Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalies. It is one of the most peaceful states in the country. There is a strong sense of community living with distinct commitment in the people to serve the society. Sikkim Himalayan Home stay The Sikkim Himalayan Home stay is the UNESCO project for the development of Cultural Tourism and Ecotourism in the Mountainous region of Central and South Asia. It is sponsored by the Norwegian Government with the support of the Principality of Andorra. The Project aims to promote cooperation between local communities, national and international NGOs and tour agencies in order to involve local populations full in the employment opportunities and income generating activities that tourism brings. The goal of Sikkim Himalayan Home stays is to promote community based tourism while helping local communities benefit fully from the economic opportunities of low-impact tourism. Also the natural environment and cultural heritage of these can be protected for future generations and tourism can develop to meet the needs of local communities. Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim (ECOSS) is a NGO working to accomplish a mission of sustainability and conservation in the state of Sikkim. ECOSS works together with

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communities and UNESCO to help communities achieve the goals of Sikkim Himalayan Homestays. To develop the homestay destinations, ECOSS has worked closely with the villagers of the different destinations in building their skills and capacities for the sustainable tourism activity. Each village has a tourism management committee, which overlooks the operations and management of the tourism activities. These rural tourism destinations serve as model sites for exposure visits. Groups are facilitated for learning the village tourism dynamics and operation modalities. Under the volunteer and internship programme of ECOSS, national and overseas candidates work in home stays to develop the skills and capacities of the local communities UNESCO has selected nine places for Sikkim Himalayan Homestay project. They are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Dzongu Home Stays Kewzing Home Stays Yuksom Home Stays Pastanga Home Stays Hee-Bermiok Home Stays Lachen Home Stays Assangthang Model Village Kabi Home Stays and Seven Hills Resort.

Kewzing is a small Bhutia (Buddhist) village in Sikkim’s Southern district with population of 200 people. It is a scenic village located 85 k.m. away from capital city Gangtok and 10 k.m. away from Ravangla (a small township and transit to various tourist destinations in South and West Sikkim) in South Sikkim. It is home to some of the exotic birds, cardamom and tea plantations with lush green forests and in the background is the view of the Kanchendzonga range. Kewzing means the “Land of Wheat Field” and is also known as Sosing “Land of Chestnut Forest”. It is a quiet hamlet of some thirty house rich in cardamom forest cover. At an altitude of 4600 ft. the village is located against a backdrop of magnificent view of mountains that include Mt. Narsing and Mt. Kabru. The atmosphere in the village is very serene and peaceful. Kewzing is inhabited by Bhutia community. Bhutias are the people of Tibetan origin. They migrated to Sikkim perhaps somewhere after the fifteenth century through the state of Sikkim. In Northen Sikkim, where they are the major inhabitants, they are known as the Lachenpas and Lachungpas. The language spoken by the bhutias is bhutia sikkimese . Bhutia villages are as large as compared to those of Lepchas. A Bhutia house called "Khin" is usually of rectangular shape. The traditional dress of the male member is known as the "Bakhu" which is a loose cloak type garment with full sleeves. The males also wear Jya Jya (waist coat), Yenthatse (shirt), Kera (cloth belt) and Shambo (cap). The ladies dress consists of a silken "Honju" which is a full sleeve blouse and a loose gown type garment. The other costumes worn by ladies are Hanju (loose blouse), Kushen (jacket), Shambo (cap different in design than used by men), and Shabcha (shoe). Pangden, the striped apron is a symbol of married Bhutia women.

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The ladies are very fond of heavy jewellery made of pure gold. The jewellery items used by the Bhutia women are known as Yencho (earring), Khao (necklace), Phiru (pearl ornament), Diu (gold bangle), and Joko (ring). Kewzing home stays offer an untouched wealth of nature and authentic Bhutia lifestyle. The Kewzing Home stay is a community based initiative of Kewzing Tourism Development Committee (KTDC) a local NGO established in 2002, formed by the people of Kewzing to develop and promote responsible tourism in the area. KTDC was established for proper maintenance and allotment of guests to the home stays. In an effort to allow equal distribution of guests and funds to all home stays in Kewzing, KTDC allots each new guest to different home stays. The committee has members on a voluntary basis, with each member having their own set of responsibilities. KTDC home stay project is supported by the Sikkim Development Foundation (SDF), ECOSS and UNESCO. Total 14 Bhutia family are involved in home stay in Kewzing. The family size in a Bhutia community is of 4-5 members. The educational qualification is secondary and senior secondary. They are employed and nature of occupation is government job, farming and cardamom plantation. Approximately 80-120 tourists visit Kewzing yearly. The tourists are from India and outside India. Foreign tourists are from Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom and U.S.A. The communities got encouragement to start Homestays with small financial assistance from SDF. The individual investment was also made by the communities and KTDC supported each member of the community to modify their houses with basic amenities. The members of the community were given a comprehensive training on hospitality, guest handling and preparing traditional cuisines. Marketing and promotion of the Homestays at Kewzing is taken care by KTDC and Department of Tourism, Government of Sikkim. Also there is tie with Mahindra Homestays for marketing and promotion. They work with a third party operating in Sikkim to affiliate these homes. All bookings made through Mahindra Homestays for Kewzing is channelled through the third party. Mahindra Homestays as an organisation also keeps a close check on the home stays' standards, including comfort, cleanliness, safety and originality. All the host families of the home stays have had direct interaction with the Mahindra Homestays representatives before they are recommended. There are regular and mystery audits to ensure the quality of home stays in addition to providing training to the home stay owners. This venture with Mahindra Homestays' helps these home stays in earning an additional income across the community and also promotes rural tourism helping the locals in preserving their local arts and crafts besides leaving minimum carbon footprints. The homestays thus get their bookings not only through travel agencies based in Gangtok but also through KTDC and Mahindra holidays.

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The benefits flowing to local community from home stays are immense. It gives an additional income to the community other than the regular income. The homes that are unable to directly serve as home stays are also given the chance to supplement their income by acting as guides for tourists or packing meals for travellers. There is a revenue mechanism which is followed. The room rate of the homestay is fixed Rs 1,500 per night. This tariff is same for the domestic and foreign tourists. 20% of the tariff goes as the agency’s margin. 10% is towards the maintenance and development of the Gompa and 10% is towards the KTDC fund. The maximum booking is made through travel agents. The tourists mostly visit during October to December months. The tourists come either single or in pair. The duration of stay of tourists in the homestay is one night.The number of foreign tourists outnumbers the domestic tourists. The foreign tourists come from Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom and U.S.A. The homestays in Kewzing offer one room to the tourists. It can be used as single or double room as per the requirement. The accommodation is simple, neat and comfortable. Wholesome local food is served from the family kitchen. The facilities provided to guests in homestays include: 

Guests are received in the village’s monastery by the head Lama. The homestay family welcomes the tourists by garlanding and tilak. Khada (scarf) is offered. Welcome drink and traditional dance are also part of the warm welcome  Authentic Sikkim’s meal  Homemade millet-based drinks  Organic vegetables are grown and served  Most families are multilingual and speak English, Hindi and other regional languages  European-style W/Cs are available in most homes they are rarely en-suite  Impeccably maintained rooms and high standards of cleanliness  Hot and cold running water  Homestay allows consumption of Non Veg Meals and alcohol Activities tourists can keep themselves engaged and witness rural life in Kewzing.  Tourists can participate in the daily or seasonal chores of the family  Spend time relaxing in the village and interacting with villagers and host family  Village hike and short treks or sightseeing/excursion tours to monasteries at Ralang, Timi Tea Garden, Tibetan Carpet Centre, Rayon Sunrise Point, Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary with local guides  Picking organic vegetables  Picnic to the Rangeet Water World  In winters hot-stone herbal bath arranged by host family  Farming, milking cows, cooking, basket weaving, cultural shows etc.  Traditional games and sports like kaudi, chungi, bagh ghar etc

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Volunteer to teach in school Photography Learn local language

Results and Discussion The homestay project has undoubtedly brought new life to Kewzing. They realise that a tourist is coming to their village for the invaluable resources possessed by the community. It gives the host community happiness and thus encourages the community to conserve its biodiversity and their culture and tradition. Homestays have empowered the local communities as new job opportunities are created. The females can contribute to the family income as they are the ones who maintain the homestays. Youth have the opportunity to act as guides to the tourists. Kewzing has found its place in the hearts of tourists. Tourists enjoy the warm welcome received by the locals. They enjoy the village life. There are various challenges of running homestays in Kewzing. From the point of view of tourists the major problem faced by them is the hygienic conditions of the homestays especially toilets are not satisfactory. Language becomes a barrier when it comes to communicate with the family members and villagers. It becomes all the more difficult for non-English speaking tourists. Local cuisines are served in the homestays which at times is not preferred by the guests. The homestays are offered to the tourists according to the rotation system developed by KTDC. They are not satisfied with the rotation system followed by KTDC as they do not get the house of their choice. Medical facilities are lacking and also there is no one in the family or village equipped to deal with any medical emergency. The communication network is good but lack of internet facility definitely makes the tourist unhappy. The host community find that the tourists are coming from different cultural backgrounds so at times they fail to respect the local traditions and customs. They fear that in times to come people may get materialistic in their approach as they find that they are being benefitted by the tourists. They may be just perceived as object. The young population tries to copy the foreigners which may in times to come change the lifestyle of local community and hence it may be a threat the sustainability of culture. There is no sufficient formal training imparted to the family members of homestays. This effects their proper management of tourists. Home stays have no doubt provided valuable and rich experience to the tourists as well as to the home stay owners. Tourists enjoy the natural and cultural resources in the company of family members and thus a unique stay experience. Home stay owners get to know a world outside their miniscule world through tourists and also get an additional income and recognition from the tourists. The Kewzing is a small village in Sikkim which has very well adopted the homestay scheme. There are few problems which can be overcome. The Capacity Building Programmes can be organised for the family members of homestay which shall help them in developing soft skills and technical skills. Young population can be encouraged to learn foreign

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languages which shall open their horizon to non English speaking tourists as well. Exclusive marketing of homestays is required. The educational programmes for the tourists can help them have a better understanding of the host population and this might also result in increasing their stay. Homestays in a way is a step towards empowering the community and thus utilising their resources optimally and also taking care of their resources. The authenticity of the community can be sustained. References Bhaduri, S.,(2009, November 16-30), A Home in the Hills, Express Travel World. Edgell, D. L., Allen, M., Mith G., & Swanson, J.R., (2008). Tourism Policy and Planning-Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Butterworth-Heinemann. Frederick, C.M. (2003). Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. Merriam-Webster. 595. Himachal Pradesh, (2010, November 29). India Today, pp85. Lynch, P.A. & MacWhannell, D. (2000). Home and Commercialised Hospitality. In Search of Hospitality: Theoretical Perspectives and Debates, Oxford: Butterworth_Heinemann. Mathew, V., How Technology makes Homestays in India accessible? Hospitality Net, http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4037316.search?query=how+technology+makes+homestays+in +india+accessible%3f++ Rajeev, P.V., Shyju, P.J. & Lama,R. (2010), Tourism Sustainability Through Community Empowerment and Resource Management: A case Study of Sikkim, International Journal of Agricultural Travel And Tourism, Vol1, 84-93. Rhodri, T. (2004). Small firms in tourism: international perspectives. Boston: Elsevier. Rivers, W. P. (1998). Is Being There Enough? The Effects of Homestay Placement on Language Gain During Study Abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 31(4), 492-500. Shaw, G., & William, A. M., (2006). Critical Issues in Tourism-A Geographical Perspective, Blackwell Publishing. Srivatsa, S.S., (2010, July 30). That homestay could be a bit too homey.The Hindu. United Nations World Tourism Organisation, Indicators of Sustainable Development for Tourism. http://tourism.gov.in/events/BandBguideline.pdf- accessed on 15 November 2010. http://www.itopc.org/travel-trade/incredible-india-bed-breakfast-scheme.htmlaccessed on 10 November 2010. http://www.indiasocial.in/mahindra-homestays-social-media-marketing/- accessed on 10 November 2010. http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4037316.search?query=homestays+scenario+india-accessed on 10 November 2010. http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/opportunities.html- accessed on 10 November 2010. http://www.tourismthailand.org/what-to-see-do/activities/cultural-exploration/homestay/-accessed on 10 November 2010. http://sikkim.nic.in/sws/sikk_tour.htm- accessed on 10 November 2010. http://www.sikkim.gov.in/- accessed on 10 November 2010.

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