The Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) on Friday entered into a partnership with Stayzilla, the Chennai-based homestay aggregator offering a platform for verified homestays and alternate stays, to jointly promote unique stays in the State. As per the Memorandum of Understanding, Stayzilla will assist PHTPB with verification procedures and jointly boost homestays and unique stays like farm stays, bed and breakfast and tented rooms within Punjab.
“Our partnership with leading Homestay aggregator, Stayzilla, will help in the growth of homestays across the state and address the under supply of quality rooms,” said the state Minister of Tourism and Cultural affairs and Archives and Museums Sohan Singh Thandal.
Stayzilla will be the strategic partner to help educate the locals and aid the growth of the homestay ecosystem, he added.
“With sprawling farmlands and majestic rivers, Punjab has plenty to offer to tourists from all across the world. October onwards, Punjab witnesses huge influx of tourists in Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, ludhiana, Patiala and Bhatinda,” Thandal said.
He added that the tourism, in the state, was always growing and we look to host as many tourists as we can.
Punjab Tourism Department signed MoUs in the regard with Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation, Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board and Tourism Corporation of Gujarat limited.
The move is expected to boost adoption of homestays and unlock maximum number of rooms during the peak tourist season in Punjab.
All homestays registered with the PHTPB will receive technical support in the form of inventory management and software applications to ensure seamless booking procedures. Currently, 88 homestays are accredited with the PHTPB. “Unlike hotels, homestays provide a unique experience of the local life and culture. This is why experiential stays are on the rise. We are very excited to partner with Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board and spearhead homestays in the region,” Stayzilla VP Marketplace, Ankit Rastogi said.
Stayzilla and PHTPB will also jointly conduct educational and training sessions for registered homestays on best practices such as online usage, content management, operations and expense management.
The company has conducted over 250 sensitization workshops across the country, and has unlocked close to 33,000 rooms.
In Punjab, which leads the country in exotic farm stays, Stayzilla currently has over 200 homestays across and has also conducted five workshops in Punjab to create awareness about homestays.