District Collector A. S. Dinesh Kumar announced that permissions have already been granted for setting up 150 homestays in Alluri Sitharama Raju district under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. He added that the administration has planned to establish around 40,000 homestays across the district, which has nearly 40 lakh households.
During a coordination meeting with homestay operators at the ITDA conference hall in Paderu on Wednesday, the Collector said that the State Government has brought a new policy to promote tourism in the Araku region to provide livelihoods to the local communities. He urged the tribals to make use of the opportunity.
He further explained that the government is offering several incentives, including concessional loans through the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) to tackle the challenges while setting up homestays. He also noted that homestays are now being recognised as MSME units, which makes them eligible for up to a 35% subsidy.
âThe investments made in homestays facility could be recovered within two tourist seasons,â, he said, urging organisers not to believe in any misconceptions.
Mr. Dinesh Kumar further said that training programmes will be conducted by a professional team to enhance the skills of organisers. Depending on the facilities available, homestays will be categorised as âsilverâ and âgoldâ types to attract foreign tourists. If there are 10 to 15 homestays in one locality, homestay associations will be formed and strengthened through the support of the DRDA support, he added.
State Nodal Officer of Homestay, Y. Prasanna Lakshmi said that applications for homestay approvals should be submitted through the online registration portal. ITDA Project Officer, TS Pooja, District Tourism Officer Dasu and others were present.
Published â November 05, 2025 09:18 pm IST
