Punjab government all set to dish out bed’n’breakfast scheme

Chandigarh, August 25, 2013:  Aiming at providing comfortable home stay facilities as per international standards to tourists enhancing the availability of accommodation and tourist destinations, the Punjab government was all set to launch a scheme to promote high-end Bed and Breakfast accommodation managed by Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board. The guidelines for launching the scheme in the State have been formed and would be advertised, and applications would be invited. More details could be sought from the official website of the Tourism department i.e. punjabtourism.gov.in.

Stating this here today, a spokesman of the government said that according to the recommendations of United Nation World Tourism Organization’s Tourism Development Master Plan in which emphasis was laid to identify the high quality accommodations that caters to the holiday visitor, in and around state’s main tourist destinations. The initiative was to provide a clean and comfortable place for overseas visitors as well as domestic tourists including an opportunity for them to stay with an Indian particularly a Punjabi family experience the traditions and culture of Punjab and relish authentic Punjabi cuisine.

The first phase of Bed and Breakfast would be launched in the urban areas of Amritsar, Patiala and SAS Nagar Mohali and would be expanded to other towns of Punjab in due course. The spokesman also said that this would be useful source of additional income for those who have necessary aptitude and have adequate living area as per the requisite standards. The scheme would be applicable only for the owners’ who were staying themselves within the same premises.

Laying down the detailed guidelines, he said that the houses/bungalows under consideration should be located in an accessible area with adequate parking space, may have a maximum of six good size bedrooms with attached washrooms and spacious living room. Every home must be furnished as per the international specifications. The tariff charged under the scheme is at the discretion of the home.The Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) would register homes after inspection and interview, monitor quality standards through independent inspection, and train home owners. Four parties would be involved in the selection procedure. These are the applicant, an independent inspection team, the training providers and representatives of the Board. The government has recommended that the house owners be fluent in English and Hindi, and the quality of the property should be high in terms of comfort, facilities and hygiene. The professional and educational background of the applicant and the family members, and any previous relevant hospitality experience will also be taken into consideration.

The board has specified that it could authorize any qualified inspector to make an anonymous inspection on the premises at any time without notice.