Assam Tourism and MakeMyTrip partners to promote homestay
Travellers are now looking for diverse accommodation options
In order to promote local tourism in the state, Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) intends to encourage organised, community-based, environmentally and socially responsible homestays across the region. ATDC and Rightstay recently signed a MoU to promote homestays in the state.
Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) signed a MoU in Guwahati with Rightstay, an alternate accommodation marketplace by one of India’s leading travel company, MakeMyTrip, to promote the concept of homestay in the state.
Rightstay, under this agreement, will lend its expertise to the state’s tourism body to jointly promote homestays and enhance tourism in the state through packages for Assam. ATDC will also work with MakeMyTrip to develop custom packages which will be promoted to enhance tourism in the state.
Anurag Singh, MD, ATDC said, “Assam Tourism will focus on quality homestays in the entire state. The rural Assam is a right place for tourists to experience the Assamese flavour of culture, nature and hospitality. Tourism Department of Assam has already launched a rural homestay scheme called ‘Aamaar Aalohi’. The focus area is to encourage rural and semi-urban people to participate in tourism and self-generate income by managing homestays. We are happy that MakeMyTrip has come forward to engage with us to promote homestays and also develop a good package for Assam.”
Homestays opened and promoted under this agreement will conform strictly to the high qualities and standards set by ATDC. All homestays registered with the ATDC will receive technical support in the form of inventory management and software applications to ensure seamless booking procedures, from Rightstay. Both the ATDC and Rightstay will also jointly conduct educational and training sessions for registered homestays on best practices such as hospitality, skill training of online usage, content management, operations and expense management.
Deepak Tuli, Senior Vice President – Growth Business, MakeMyTrip said, “It is our honour to be associated with Assam Tourism Development Corporation. The state of Assam has 200+ properties listed on our platform and homestays account for 40 pc of the total properties on the Rightstay. We look to grow aggressively in Assam and become the first OTA to heavily promote upcoming regions and homestays in the state. The state is a travel-friendly destination around the year and we look forward to making it one of our top markets for Rightstay. We have already had a head-start with more than 12,000 properties across 200 cities live on Rightstay with plans to end the year with 100,000+ properties.”
Homestay is any traditional accommodation available/constructed aesthetically with best amenities and highest safety norms for the tourists. The objective to encourage such homestays is to create a participative, sustainable eco-system which provides an alternate source of income for the locals and enhancing their livelihoods without straining their existing resources, thereby creating sustainable livelihood and creating large scale employment.
Rightstay, available on Android and web, has recently signed MoU’s with Andhra Tourism Development Board and Kumon Mandal Vikas Nigam (Uttarakhand Tourism) towards strategic promotion of homestays and other government-owned properties as well as a higher promotion of upcoming tourist destinations in these regions.
