An
eminent travel blogger stated, “If you want to see a place, see the people, how
they live, how they love”. In the real sense, Paris is not just Eiffel Tower or
Louvre, New York is not just Brooklyn or Manhattan, it is the people of Paris or New York that really counts. The culture, heritage,
behaviour and the way of life, as also how they are
different from us, is what we want to
experience as a traveller or tourist.
What is Homestay
It is
an opportunity for tourist or traveller to stay in the residence of a local
family against financial consideration. It is a form of hospitality with
lodging and boarding shared by residents with the visitors.
In western countries, Air B&B or
Couchsurfing has become very popular where the travellers are able to mingle
with the host staying with them directly. They are able to acquire ideas about
their lifestyle, way of living, food, habits etc having watched from close
vicinity.
Though AirB&B and Couchsurfing is gradually
becoming popular in India but still to a limited scale, as normal rural people
do not intend to place an outsider into their privacy on account of traditional
conservative approach. Even the rules and regulations of AirB&B or couch
surfing is much strict than hotels or homestays
Difference between Homestay and Hotel
Hotel is a formal business approach of
extending hospitality within a framed system as per its category and it is
mandatory to follow the guidelines laid down by the government or competent
authority whereas homestay is an informal system where the supply of services
are flexible and within reach of the host.
The rules and regulations laid down are
strictly applicable for the hotels whereas the homestays enjoy advantages of
relaxed rules and regulations keeping in consideration the limited services
that can be rendered by the host. The services depend upon local availability
and the resource base of the host.
Advantage of Homestay
The homestay will provide a local flavour
to the travellers, where, informal support in the form of a local guide, local
cuisines and personal touch in hospitality will be available to the guests.
The travellers or guests will be able
to get an idea of the culture, heritage, behaviour, attitude and the way of life
of the local residents through 24X7 interaction and mingling with them.
As we know, the taste of water changes
every mile and language or dialect change every league in India. So the homestay
will help to know the distinct difference of water and language along with culture
and way of life.
The cost of living in a homestay
generally varies between Rs.1000/- and Rs.2000/- per person per day including
stay and food for the entire day which is much cheaper than a normal hotel. This
also gives a boost to the local economy
Drawbacks of Homestay
Homestays are not categorised like hotels
and the travellers have to adjust themselves in the available infrastructure
and available ethnic cuisines. It is not
round the clock service like star ranking hotels. The reason being the entire
kitchen is managed either by the host or hostess and the supply is restricted
to normal timings and not beyond that.
A large number of homestays have come up
along the Himalayan region right from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh and they are
situated in clusters so as to maintain an equilibrium of income among the hosts.
These clusters have put up their details on the website either in combined form or
on an individual basis. The details are available on the website for example in
Darjeeling and Sikkim the most popular website available is “Humro Home” where
details of lots of homestays are available.
So what do you think
So let us rethink the definition
of our stay while travelling. Both domestic and foreign
travellers/ tourists can have a change of taste and deviate from staying in traditional
types of hotels to a place where you can enjoy the company of general category
of the population with exposure to local culture, religion, traditional wisdom,
ethnic food, festivals and rituals in one go. I can
assure you that you will receive much more than what you have paid for. Why not make a try?
Good read. With Standardisati,our world look alike across borders & boundaries in respect of shopping malls, restaurants & moreso hotels. Homesays are definitely pleasant change to the stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Residing in homestay is totally a different experience. It is not only stay but collection of stories of their lives, their culture and their warm-heartedness
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