Homestays seek more staying power

KOCHI: Kerala State Homestay and Tourism Association (Kerala HATS), a consortium of homestay providers and tourism promoters, has decided to approach the departments of finance, electricity and tourism to seek concession for homestay entrepreneurs.The entrepreneurs have been demanding lifting of 0.5 per cent luxury tax on homestays, introduction of concession in electricity billing under 7-A tariff  (commercial power connection) and speeding up the procedures of licence renewal.Though these issues have already been put forth before the government, it is yet to find a permanent solution as the issues come under different departments. “Therefore our effort is to get all the ministers together in the presence of Union Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies K V Thomas,” said Kerala HATS director M P Sivadathan.Urging the state government to announce the tourism policy, he said the Tourism Department had issued licences to 30 new homestay entrepreneurs in Kochi. According to the statistics available with the Kerala HATS, the number of authorised and classified homestays in Kochi is just 65 while the number of unauthorised ones runs to more than 300.   Kerala HATS had launched an awareness campaign for homestay entrepreneurs last November on the need to get their homestays registered and classified.“Under the commercial power connection, an entrepreneur has to pay a higher rate even during off season. Similarly, he has to pay luxury tax imposed on a homestay though the facility is operational up to six months a year,” Sivadathan said.