Govt will not allow urban home-stay
Private sector players wanting to operate home-stay for accommodating tourists in urban homes need to meet the criteria set by the government. They would need to be affiliated with the tourist class hotels, and lodges operating in the areas.
The government provision states that urban home-stay should follow all the standards prescribed by the hotels.
A preliminarily home-stay policy draft prepared by the government in coordination with the Nepal Tourism Board says that the home-stay operation both in villages or urban areas should be registered.
As per the present legal provisions, tourist's accommodation in the urban home is considered illegal.
However, with the government announcement of Nepal Tourism Year 2011 and a target to host one million tourists, the existing tourist standard hotels will not have sufficient hotel rooms.
With 669 hotels including all categories and a combined capacity of 26,063 beds, it would mean a shortfall of 822 beds daily.
In response to the massive shortfall, the private sector is of the view that urban home stay could provide service to the surplus tourists.
After the private sector floated a proposal showing willingness to host tourists in private houses in the upcoming NTY-2011 the number of such operations is on the rise especially in urban areas. In Nepal, the Tourism Policy 2008/09 does not allow for home stay provisions except in rural areas.
The new home-stay policy that will soon be in effect states that such home-stay operations need to at least five Kms away from hotels, lodges and resorts. Likewise, it should be five Kms or an hour's walk from urban areas or district headquarters.
The draft says that for community-based home-stay there should be a minimum of five houses. These houses should be 500 meter apart from each other. One home-stay should have four rooms with eight beds. However, those with more than four rooms should fulfil all the provisions and regulations as set by the hotels, lodges and resorts. The operators need to renew their business every two years.
The implementation of the procedures for home stay facility targeting foreign visitors is in the final stage, said Laxman Prasad Bhattarai, spokesperson at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.
Home-stay in some small rural communities has already been legalised. Visitors stay as guests in a resident's home where they live with the family, sharing common rooms, meals and conversation. However, government delay in home-stay policy has encouraged illegal establishments in the urban areas as commercial businesses
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