DC chaired a meeting recently with representatives of hotels, resorts, homestays and travel agencies in the district regarding the security and safety of tourists at various tourist spots in the district. In this regard, Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja has directed that all unregistered homestays operating in the district should be registered mandatorily with the concerned department.
The current homestay registration process is very simplified, and all documents are verified and certificates are issued in a short period of time. Deputy Commissioner requested that all homestays in the district should be registered compulsorily with the Tourism Department.
DC directed that various measures be taken, including installing CCTVs, deploying home guards, and arranging lighting at night, at tourist places.
Information about all registered homestays should be made available on the internet. In this regard, this work needs to be done urgently, he said.’
He said that a meeting should be held under the leadership of the T.P. EO and Tahsildar to observe whether the government’s directives are being followed while issuing business licenses.
DC Venkat Raja said that this will ensure the safety and security of tourists.
The DC informed that the registration process is on line and a nominal fees of Rs 500 is being charged
The DC further advised that more emphasis should also be placed on safety in border areas such as Chelavara, Irpu, Dubare and other areas.
The DC said that steps will be taken to create awareness by providing information on the district’s official website and social media regarding the safety guidelines for tourists.
Anita Bhaskar, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department, said that there are more than 3500 homestays in the district, of which 2269 are currently registered. The district’s tourism website should be updated. This will help it function more effectively. She suggested that everyone should search the website.
Monti Ganesh of the Homestay Association said that more awareness should be created regarding the registration of homestays. He said that efforts will be made to emphasize the safety and security of tourists.
Ambekallu Naveen spoke and said that the safety and security of tourists is everyone’s responsibility. He said that more awareness is needed in this regard. Tahsildars Kiran Gouraiah, Praveen Kumar, T.P. EO Shekhar and others were present.
