You will soon be able to enjoy a homestay experience in the Nilgiris

The Nilgiris will soon be able to offer homestays to tourists, as the tourism department is planning to introduce bed and breakfast homestay establishment scheme here. The idea behind this move is to attract both domestic and international tourists in this region.

Although such a scheme used to be available in Ooty and in other parts of the state, a decade ago, eventually they became defunct. Referring to this development, the tourist officer who is in charge of the Nilgiris said that the department is all geared up to relaunch the scheme soon, which will benefit both tourists and locals. He also mentioned that the scheme will be implemented across the state and will operate as before, the visibility of which will be more in the tourist hotspots.
The tourist officer also stated that the scheme is now in the final stage of getting approval from the government, and that the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation will also be roped in to assist the department.
As per an official in the know-how, the idea behind this scheme was taken from similar programmes being offered by the Union Tourism Ministry and other states that offer the best services to the travellers.
As per the scheme, local residents who have space for tourists, could now go ahead to register with the tourism department. And based on the guidelines, a regional certificate committee will inspect and assess the homestay/bed & breakfast options by considering the services and facilities they have on offer. However, approval will be granted only after they meet all the standards of facilities and services, and have all the documents as per the guidelines.