New Delhi [India], March 23 (ANI/NewsVoir): Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), India's largest hospitality company yesterday announced a framework to drive its sustainability and social impact measures under Paathya.

Kohima Nov 29 PTI The tourism ministry is tailoring its promotional campaigns to highlight staycations focusing on homestays offering personal care and local experience to tourists post the COVID-19 pandemic according to officials in the ministryIn fact promoting homestays has been the focus of the three-day 9th International Tourism Mart being held here with the ministry urging owners to register themselves with the Central portalDuring the event the ministry also felicitated 20 such homestay-owners across rural Nagaland who were running such establishmentsWhile we saw a demand for such homestays just before the pandemic now it is through the roof We are tailoring our promotional campaigns to promote homestays Tourists dont want big hotels anymore They want big open spaces personalised care and want to experience the local flavor We are also promoting staycations said Rupinder Brar Additional Director General in the ministryThe idea officials said was to use existing real estate to drive the economy in rural areasAccording to a tourism ministry official homestays -- that allows visitors to rent rooms from local families -- are also a great alternative for the sector to fill the void of around 200000 hotel rooms in the countryIn fact in Nagaland capital city of Kohima where tourism primarily involves trekking and adventure sports all that the homestays need is basic amenitiesFor 29-year-old Thejasevi a graduate of Delhis St Stephens College and with a degree in financial management turning his home into a homestay was a calculated business plan which needed little investmentThis has worked out better than I could have ever hoped for I get a lot of guests and most of them are repeat customers he saidHis property Akim Homestay -- which means God will help -- is also helping sustain three other homestays in the regionI have four rooms and whatever bookings come to me after that I pass it on to the others So at any given time we all are absolutely full said Thejasevi who gets his bookings from online aggregatorsHe offers big rooms for Rs 3000 a night while the smaller rooms are priced at Rs 2000 This includes breakfastGuests can also get lunch and dinner on making additional payments The 29-year-old grows his own vegetables and harvests rainwater in view of the scarcity of water in the regionIn an indication of what the success of such small business could mean to the community Thejasevi is now building a 5000 square feet football field near his house to promote the states favourite sportHomestays have emerged as a very strong vertical and we are focused on it In February we held a workshop on homestays in Darjeeling where 500 owners had registered As many as 725 came for the workshop said Brar PTI ASG TIR TIR