CM Launches Home Stay Portal; Provisional Renewals Directed Pending Fire NOC.
Shimla:
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday took a major step towards streamlining Himachal Pradesh’s tourism sector by launching a dedicated Home Stay Registration Portal — http://homestay.hp.gov.in. The initiative aims to simplify and digitize the registration process, enabling home stay operators to complete all formalities online from the comfort of their homes.
Launching the portal, the Chief Minister said the state government is committed to facilitating hotel owners and home stay operators and ensuring that their businesses are not hampered by bureaucratic hurdles. He issued clear directions that the renewal of registration of home stays should not be stalled on the pretext of pending Fire No Objection Certificates (NOC).
To prevent harassment and unnecessary obstruction, the Chief Minister instructed the Tourism Department to issue provisional renewal registrations to home stay units while Fire NOCs are awaited, allowing their operations and maintenance activities to continue smoothly.
Highlighting the immense tourism potential of the state, Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the Home Stay Scheme is a key pillar of the government’s strategy to promote self-employment, particularly in rural areas. The scheme aims to encourage rural tourism and attract visitors to lesser-known and unexplored destinations across Himachal Pradesh.
To further expand opportunities, the government has extended the scope of the scheme to urban areas as well, permitting the registration of home stays with a capacity of up to six rooms.
The Chief Minister emphasized that home stays provide tourists with a distinctive and authentic “homely” experience through traditional village architecture and local cuisine. He noted that offering traditional dishes not only enriches the experience of tourists—especially foreign visitors—but also significantly enhances the income of local homeowners.
To strengthen the tourism ecosystem, the Chief Minister also highlighted the interest subsidy scheme introduced by the state government to support the establishment, expansion and upgradation of tourism units. Under the scheme, interest subsidies are provided at the rate of three percent in urban areas, four percent in rural areas and five percent in tribal regions on term loans.
Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board Vice Chairman R.S. Bali joined the event virtually. Principal Adviser (Media) to the Chief Minister Naresh Chauhan, Principal Secretary Devesh Kumar, and Director, Tourism Department Vivek Bhatia were present on the occasion in Shimla.
