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The Classification Scheme will be implemented through the District Tourism Promotion Councils. Based on the facilities and quality of the accommodation provided, Homestay units will be classified into three categories by bringing out clear guidelines on the requirements.
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Homestay units fulfilling all the essential conditions prescribed by the Department of Tourism and meeting the required criteria in the Checklist of Facilities, belonging to the Class A category will be given the Diamond House status, Class B category will be awarded the Gold House status and Class C category will be accorded the Silver House status. |
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ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE SCHEME |
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- Individuals or families who own a house of good quality in the State and can spare at least 1 room and upto maximum 6 rooms for tourist accommodation.
- The classification will be given only in those cases where the owner/promoter of the unit along with his/her family is physically residing in the same unit.
- At least one of the family members should be able to communicate in English.
- The houses in areas of tourism importance will get priority.
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DETAILED GUIDELINES FOR
THE CLASSIFICATION/RECLASSIFICATION OF
KERALA HOMESTAY UNITS |
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- Classification will be only for operational Homestays.
- Once the unit applies for classification, it has to be ready for inspection by the Committee.
- Classification will be valid for 2 years from the date of issue of order or in case of reclassification, from the date of expiry of the last classification, provided that the application has been received at least 3 months before the expiry of the last classification.
- The classification for Homestay units will be given only in those cases where the owner/promoter of the unit along with his/her family is physically residing in the same unit.
- A certificate from the Local Authority should be submitted along with the application.
- A Police Clearance certificate from the Local Station House Officer should be submitted along with the application.
- All applications for the classification or reclassification must be complete in all respects including application form, application fee, prescribed clearances, NOCs, certificates, checklist etc. The incomplete application is liable to be rejected.
- The application fee payable for classification or reclassification will be as follows. The Demand Draft may be payable to the Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, payable at Thiruvananthapuram. The fee is not refundable in case of rejection of classification or considering for classification in lower classes.
Category of Classification |
Classification/Reclassification
Fee
(in Rs.) |
| Class A (Diamond House) |
3000 |
| Class B (Gold House) |
2000 |
| Class C (Silver House) |
1000 |
- In case of dissatisfaction with the decision of the categorisation on classification, the unit may appeal to the Secretary (Tourism), Government of Kerala within 30 days of receiving the communication regarding classification/reclassification.
- The presence of facilities and services will be evaluated against the checklist and score sheet by the Committee. The checklist should be duly filled in and signed on all pages and submitted to the Department of Tourism with the application.
- The classified units are expected to maintain required standards at all times. The Classification Committee could inspect the same at any time without previous notice. Any serious deficiencies will be reported to the Department of Tourism and the Department is free to take any action including cancellation of the classification.
- Any deficiencies/rectification pointed out by the Committee will have to be complied within the stipulated time. Failure to do so will result in rejection of the application.
- The Committee may recommend a category either higher or lower than the one applied for. In case of higher than the one applied for, the applicant will have to deposit the required fee for the recommended category. However, in case of lower category, there will be no refund of the extra fee.
- Any changes in the facilities of the unit shall be reported to the Secretary, District Tourism Promotion Council within 30 days.
- All the classified units shall have to submit Form C with passport details to the Police Station as done by the hotels while accommodating foreign nationals. The C-form can also be submitted online. Click here for online submission.
- The Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala reserves the right to modify the guidelines/terms and conditions from time to time.
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PROCEDURE FOR SELECTION |
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Selection of homestay units from among the applicants will be done by a Committee appointed by the Government for the purpose, based on the following criteria:
- Location of the house.
- Quality of house and surrounding areas in terms of facilities and hygiene for offering to the tourists.
- Access.
- Educational and professional background of the applicant and family members.
- Tourist attraction of the area.
The Committee for classification of homestay units constituted by the Government for the purpose will visit the unit and if found satisfactory with the facilities, recommend the Department of Tourism for the classification of the unit. The order on classification will be issued by the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala.
The committee for the classification of homestays is constituted district-wise with the following members:
- District Panchayat President – Chairman
- Additional Director/Joint Director, Department of Tourism – Member
- Secretary, District Tourism Promotion Council – Convener
- District Officer, Department of Tourism – Member
- Representative of Food Craft Institute – Member
- Representative of KHRA – Member
- Representative of IATO – Member
- Representative of the Local Body in which the unit is located – Member
There is a State Level Committee comprising the following members to oversee the implementation of the scheme, to monitor the progress and to intervene in issues, if any.
- Secretary, Tourism – Chairman
- Director, Tourism – Convener
- Director, KITTS – Convener
- Representative of KHRA – Member
- Representative of IATO – Member
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BENEFITS TO THE HOMESTAY OPERATORS |
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- Earning additional income other than his/her regular income and sustained employment.
- Use of Kerala Tourism Brand for marketing.
- Support from the Government in Capacity Building.
- Facilitation by the Government in getting loans from financial institutions for the improvement of the existing houses for its conversion into homestays.
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POST IMPLEMENTATION ASSISTANCE |
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Investor Support Cell (ISC)
Post-implementation assistance and monitoring will be one of the key aspects to ensure proper functioning of homestay operations. There will be a support system, to provide professional guidance and overall managerial directions to the entrepreneurial units.
The Investor Support Cell (ISC) is proposed to be functional under the Department of Tourism. ISC will be able to assist the units by way of:
- Marketing guidance/support.
- Technical guidance for continuous improvements.
- Capacity building - The Department of Tourism will arrange continuous training programmes for the homestay operators and their staff through KITTS, Food Craft Institute etc.
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DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED ALONG WITH THE APPLICATION (IN DUPLICATE) |
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- Prescribed application form duly filled in.
- Proof of ownership/lease of the building.
- Location plan showing access to the building from the major roads (need not be scale.
- Plan and elevation of the existing building.
- Plan and elevation of the building incorporating the proposed alteration, if required, certified by a qualified engineer.
- Photographs of the building, including interiors.
- Police clearance certificate from the Local Station House Officer.
- The department has prescribed regulatory conditions to be abided by promoters of classified projects. The promoters should furnish the acceptance of these regulatory conditions in the prescribed form. The regulatory conditions and proforma of acceptance is appended along with the application proforma.
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CHECKLIST OF FACILITIES |
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| General |
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| Necessary license from the local body |
N |
| Clean and hygienic environment |
N |
| Bedrooms, bathrooms, public areas and kitchens serviced daily while there are tourists |
N |
| All floor surface clean and in good repair |
N |
| Safety & Security |
N |
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| Guest Rooms |
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| Minimum one lettable room and maximum 6 lettable rooms (12 beds) with attached toilets; All rooms to have good ventilation |
N |
| Minimum size of bedroom excluding bathroom has to be 120 sq.ft |
N |
| Air-conditioning |
D |
| A clean change of bed and bath linen daily and between check-in |
N |
| Minimum bed width for single is 90 cm and double 120 cm |
N |
| Mattress minimum 10 cm thick - coir, cotton, foam or spring |
N |
Minimum bedding 2 sheets, pillow & case, blanket (in air-conditioned rooms),
mattress protector/bedcover |
N |
| Sufficient lighting, 1 per bed |
N |
| A 5 AMP earthed power socket |
N |
| A bedside table and drawer |
N |
| A writing surface with sufficient lighting |
N |
| Chairs - preferably one per bedding |
N |
| Wardrobe with minimum 4 cloth hangers per bedding |
N |
| Shelves or drawer space |
N |
| A wastepaper basket |
N |
| Opaque curtains or screening for all windows |
N |
| Drinking water + 1 glass tumbler per guest |
N |
| A mirror, at least half length (3 feet) |
N |
| A ‘do not disturb’ notice |
N |
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| Bathrooms |
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| Minimum size of bathroom 30 sq.ft |
N |
| Western type WC |
N |
| 1 bath towel and 1 hand towel to be provided per guest |
N |
| One WC brush per toilet seat |
N |
| Guest toiletries on request. Minimum 1 new soap/guest |
N |
| A clothes-hook in each bath/shower room |
N |
| A sanitary bin |
N |
| Each western WC toilet to have a seat and lid, toilet paper |
N |
| Floors and walls to have non-porous surfaces |
N |
| Hot and cold running water available 24 hours |
N |
| Water saving taps/shower |
N |
| Energy saving lighting |
N |
| Bottled toiletry products |
N |
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| Public Areas |
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| Telephone facility |
N |
| E-mail service |
D |
| Dining room with quality furniture |
N |
| Non-plastic crockery & glassware |
N |
| Cutlery to be at least stainless steel |
N |
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| Kitchens |
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| Refrigerator |
N |
| Daily germicidal cleaning of floors |
N |
| Clean utensils |
N |
| All food grade equipment, containers |
N |
| Ventilation system |
N |
| Purified drinking water |
N |
| Garbage to be segregated – wet and dry and disposed/treated |
N |
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| Note: D = Desirable, N = Necessary |
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SCORE SHEET |
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| Criteria |
Max Marks |
Allocation of Marks |
| Location |
12 |
Places of tourist attraction (8), Located at scenic place/farm/estate (4) |
| Exterior & surroundings |
10 |
Exterior environment (4), Approach (1), Landscaping (2), Exterior lighting (2) Parking (1) |
| Type of Building |
8 |
Heritage building, Farm houses, Estate bungalows (8), New construction in traditional architecture (6), Normal RCC structure (4), Old tiled houses without much heritage value (4) |
| Guest Rooms |
12 |
Furniture (6), Furnishings (2), Décor (2), Room facilities & amenities (2) |
| Bathrooms |
8 |
Facilities (2), Fittings (2), Linen (2), Toiletries (2) |
| Public Areas |
4 |
Furniture and Furnishings (2), Décor (2) |
| Food |
6 |
Traditional cuisine (2), Choice of cuisine (2), Food quality (2) |
| Kitchens |
6 |
Cleanliness (2), State of repair (2), Food storage (2) |
| Cleanliness |
10 |
Overall impression |
| Hygiene |
10 |
Overall impression |
| Safety & Security |
4 |
Public area and room security (2), Signage (2) |
| Communications |
2 |
Phone service (1), Internet access (1) |
| Eco – friendly practices |
8 |
Waste management, recycling, no plastics (4), Water conservation, Harvesting (1), Pollution control – air, water, sound, light (2), Alternative energy usage (1) |
| Total |
100 |
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