There are hundreds of homestays in Lahaul and Spiti valleys and almost all units offer amazing panoramic views of the snow-clad Himalayan ranges.
While some tourists prefer staying in hotels, some in camps and cottages, there are many tourists who want to stay with local families. This provides them an opportunity to understand the local culture, traditions, and their way of life so closely. They also get to eat local cuisines and can learn some of the recipes. They, while sitting with members of the family, can discuss about the local sightseeing places. Homestay is the best platform to exchange two different cultures.
Primarily, Lahaul valley had homestays at Keylong and Jispa only. Then some people registered their houses as homestay at Udaipur. In recent times, Sissu, Khangsar, Gondla, Tandi, Biling, Darcha and almost all the villages of Lahaul have homestay units. Homestays in Lahaul valley are going to be major source of income for the residents as the valley has a limited number of hotels.
In Spiti valley, Kaza, Kibber and Tabo had the major homestays which later extended to Pin valley (Mudh), Kee, Dhankar, Langza, Hikkim, Lossar and other areas of the valley. Homestays in Spiti valley have been a major attraction for tourists for years. The number of homestays in Spiti is increasing every year.
435 homestays registered in Lahaul in four days
Updated on February 26, 2021
As many as 435 tribals in Lahaul valley registered their houses as homestay units in just four days as district administration is asking maximum residents to take advantage of the special drive with a single-window registration facility.
As hotels and homestays in Lahaul valley have the capacity to accommodate maximum of 3,000 tourists, the administration is working hard on increasing the capacity to 10 thousand as soon as possible. Officials are encouraging residents to jump into tourism sector and register their existing houses as homestay units.
To meet the target, administration had first run a special campaign to register houses under this scheme through a single-window facility at Keylong where 315 new homestays were registered in just three days from February 17 to 19. Now the registration drive has been run in Udaipur where 120 houses were registered under the scheme on Friday.
All the 16 houses of Kwaring village of Lahaul have been registered as homestay units. Kwaring has become the second village of Himachal to have all the houses registered as homestay after Lalung village of Spiti in the same district. With officials expecting over 10 thousand tourists in the valley in the upcoming summer season, the residents of all the villages are also looking at booming tourism as a major source of income besides agriculture.
Lahaul-Spiti deputy commissioner Pankaj Rai said people are showing interest in this scheme which can become a good source of income for them. “We are concentrating more on the promotion of eco-friendly cultural tourism in the valley. Homestays are the best option to promote such tourism where tourists can stay with the family and they can exchange their culture. People are asked to bring photographs of the rooms and washroom besides their ids and registration is being done easily,” he said.
Spiti valley of Lahaul and the entire Ladakh have already been promoting cultural tours for many years. Both the places have a large number of homestay units and both Indian and foreign tourists like to stay in them. The owners need not to pay any tax or any kind of fee. The electricity and water connections are available at domestic charges.
The DC added that Atal tunnel has opened door to booming tourism in the valley but they have limited resources and accommodation options. “We are working at different fronts at war footing. We are working on increasing our accommodation capacity to 10 thousand people. We are also working on parking, tourist facility centres, garbage treatment, drinking water supply and many more things.”
Homestay revolution: 170 apply to convert houses into tourism units in Lahaul in one day
February 17, 2021: Most houses in all panchayats of tribal Lahaul will soon offer accommodations to tourists as residents, responding to the district administration’s request, are registering their houses as homestay units with 170 applications received in a single day on Wednesday.
Each house of Kwaring village has applied to convert their houses into tourism unit and all applications have been accepted. Almost equal numbers of people are expected to apply on Thursday. As Atal tunnel has brought tourism revolution in the valley where at present a maximum of 3,000 tourists can stay, the administration is working hard to increase the capacity to accommodate 10 thousand tourists this year as this is the number which is expected to visit the valley each day in the coming summer season.
To meet the target, Lahaul administration has started a single-window clearance system for registration of the homestay. The administration is focusing more on homestays in Lahaul valley than hotels. The interested residents can apply simply after filling an application form along with photos of the house, room and washroom. This initiative is a part of the ongoing Snow Festival of the valley which is being celebrated for the promotion of cultural and winter tourism.
Lahaul-Spiti deputy commissioner Pankaj Rai released a statement saying, “Currently the valley has the capacity to accommodate 3,000 tourists. We want to increase this capacity to ten thousand. The valley is expected to witness a huge tourist crowd this summer season. We are also working on parking, drinking water facilities, tourist reception centers, garbage treatment, and other tourist facilities.”
He added that homestay is the best way of promoting local culture as tourists get a chance to stay with the family where they exchange cultures and enjoy local cuisines. “This is a chance for local residents to increase their income besides agriculture activities. We shall hold workshops in March where experts will educate residents about the operation of the homestays,” he added.
Kwaring village of Lahaul, which has about 16 houses, has converted entirely into a homestay village as owners of all the houses applied to register their houses as homestay units. The DC distributed registration certificates to members of all the houses. The special registration campaign under a single-window will run at Keylong for two days. A similar facility will be available at Udaipur.
A large number of houses, mostly in Sissu, Keylong, and Jispa areas have already registered under the homestay scheme. Hundreds of more houses are also registering under this scheme. This summer season tourists will have the advantage of booking accommodation in any village of the valley as most houses are expected to be converted into tourism units.
The homestay revolution in Lahaul could be possible only after the opening of the Atal tunnel. Tourists now want to explore the valley of glaciers and rivers having a mix of features and landscapes like in Ladakh and Manali. Tourists also want to explore the least-revealed culture of Lahaul valley. The homestay units will not only help tourists in reaching remote villages but also will increase the income of the tribals.
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