JAMMU: The three-day business workshop on ‘Homestay Capacity Building’, organized by the Directorate of Tourism for interested stakeholders and intending local entrepreneurs, concluded here today at TRC Jammu.
The first-of-its-kind workshop intended to sensitize the participants regarding various aspects of Homestay Business and the skill enhancement of participating stakeholders in this regard.
The valedictory ceremony was presided over by Secretary of Tourism, Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, and was also graced by MD and CEO of J&K Bank, Baldev Prakash.
The workshop witnessed various capacity-building training modules, and brainstorming sessions along with detailed informative presentations by experts from J&K Bank, Grameen Bank, Make My Trip, and faculty members from Jammu University besides detailed presentations by senior officers of the Tourism Department.
The participants were acquainted with different aspects of the Homestay Registration Process with the Tourism Department, schemes of J&K Bank, formal aspects of functional operations for Homestays, guidelines, and procedural aspects involved therein.
A field exposure visit was also organized for all the participants on the second day of the workshop in which the participating delegates were taken to Hotel visits for formal interaction and on-field exposure to the Hospitality sector.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary stressed upon the need to organize more such workshops and exposure interactions for the interested Homestay stakeholders. He appealed to the participants to keep themselves updated about technological advancements and sustainable practices, focus on sociocultural tourism aspects, and take benefit from various government schemes.
He assured that the Tourism Department shall provide all assistance to all interested stakeholders and youth volunteers for establishing their own Homestay enterprises.
Secretary hoped that boosting rural tourism enterprises shall have a multiplier effect on the overall economy of J&K and shall usher in an era of self-reliance and growth. He reiterated the immense tourism potential in the Jammu region and its cultural richness which provides for great opportunity for all stakeholders to invest their resources in the Hospitality Sector.
While addressing the participants, Baldev Prakash assured that the J&K bank is committed to supporting all budding enterprises and shall afford all assistance to young entrepreneurs, especially interested Homestay stakeholders.
Director LEAD, Manish Ahluwalia, also appealed to all participants to keep working in their endeavor to establish and run Homestays and boost the rural economy along with the generation of self-employment opportunities. He highlighted the need for continued engagement and collaboration to attract tourists from different parts of the country in the Jammu region. He emphasized the importance of creating tourism cooperatives to foster collective efforts in developing a robust tourism ecosystem in the region.
Director of Tourism, Vivekanand Rai, highlighted the tourism potential of the Jammu region vis-à-vis Rural Tourism, Heritage Tourism, Experiential Tourism, and Leisure Tourism. He also highlighted the role of tourism in fostering cultural exchange and building bridges between communities in the modern-day context.
In her detailed presentation on the procedural aspects and legal framework for the registration of homestays with the Department of Tourism, Joint Director of Tourism, Sunaina Sharma Mehta, sensitized the participants about various procedural aspects of the Homestay Registration Policy of the Tourism Department. She also elaborated various significant guidelines and mandates for Homestay Proprietors and presented them under the tagline of “Proneyo Aao Sadhe Behde” signifying the significance of guests in Dogri Culture.
The 3-day workshop concluded with certificate distribution and felicitation of esteemed guests and volunteers.
