Hoteliers seek central scheme benefits to improve business

Panaji: Faced with a scarcity of financial resources, low visibility, and infrastructural challenges, Goa’s small and medium hoteliers have urged the tourism department to use the Centre’s schemes to improve the situation. A proposal was submitted to the tourism director outlining how schemes like Swadesh Darshan, Prashad, solar incentives, Mudra, and Skill India could benefit the sector.
The proposal details several key areas where central schemes could provide support. “This segment requires strategic support to overcome structural challenges such as limited access to finance, lack of visibility, infrastructural gaps, and the need for eco-compliance. The tourism department must proactively engage with various Central govt schemes and align them with a localised roadmap for strengthening small and medium hoteliers,” said Santosh Divkar, the president of Small and Medium Hoteliers Association of Goa.
The association highlighted the potential of the ministry of new and renewable energy’s (MNRE) rooftop solar subsidy scheme for small hoteliers to adopt green energy practices and meet environmental regulations. Divkar proposed the establishment of a green hospitality transition grant to provide a 50% capital subsidy under the MNRE’s rooftop solar programme so that it aligns with benefits offered to domestic consumers.
Under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and Prashad, the association suggests enabling the participation of smaller hotels in tourism circuit development and supporting village-level clusters for homestays and cultural accommodations. “Funds could also be used for community rest areas, signage, and infrastructure in less popular destinations,” said Divkar.
For green initiatives, beyond the solar subsidy, the proposal includes incentives for solar water heaters, energy-efficient lighting, and net metering. It also suggests promoting ‘solar villages’ powered by micro-enterprise homestay operators. To enhance compliance with environmental norms, Divkar suggested that the state must facilitate partnerships with agencies for eco-certification and subsidised provisions for composting, grey water reuse, and waste segregation infrastructure.
Skill development is another urgent requirement, said Divkar. He recommended district-level training in housekeeping, online booking, local cuisine, and eco-tourism operations under central schemes like ‘Hunar Se Rozgar’, Skill India, and PM Vishwakarma Yojana. The latter could also upskill local artisans, he said.
The association said that a digital onboarding drive to register smaller hotels on online platforms and the Goa tourism app will benefit the sector. Access to finance would be improved by promoting Mudra loans and utilising PMEGP for new or renovated homestays. Integrating agri-tourism through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), supporting women entrepreneurs, and enhancing disaster preparedness are also part of the association’s comprehensive proposal.
The SMHAG believes that a strategic alignment of central schemes with a localised roadmap is crucial for strengthening small and medium hoteliers in Goa.