The Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society (Kerala Hats) is set to announce ‘Vision 2028’ for tourism promotion, featuring a series of employment generation projects in the State over the next two years.
The vision will be unveiled at the homestay and tourism conclave to be held at the Hotel Abad Plaza here on January 29. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday (January 24, 2026), Kerala Hats chairman M.P. Sivadathan said the tourism sector offered significant employment opportunities for the youth, many of whom are increasingly migrating abroad.
“But for that to happen, the State government must make minor changes in the homestay classification and licensing system so that the number of classified homestays can increase from the existing 1,162. Kerala Hats can provide training, raise awareness, and facilitate access to loans,” he said. T.J. Vinod, MLA, patron of Kerala Hats, was present.
Young applicants should be permitted to run homestays with the consent of their guardians, making them eligible for loans of up to ₹20 lakh under the Central government’s Mudra loan scheme.
The Kerala Gramin Bank has expressed interest in lending to entrepreneurs under the Grama Vihar project, implemented by Kerala Hats in association with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. Mr. Sivadathan said youth along the Western Ghats, where farming had been adversely affected by human-animal conflict, could find viable livelihoods under the Green Farm Kerala tourism project, though only four licences had been issued so far.
“Under the present norms, licensing requires 50 acres for plantations and 10 acres for farms. In the current scenario, no one possesses that much land. Hence, the requirement should be reduced to 10 acres for plantations and around 3.5 acres for farms. This would enable youngsters to operate service villas and farm-related tourism,” he said.
Considering the large number of houses lying locked across the State, Kerala Hats also suggested that youngsters collaborate to launch tourism start-ups by converting these into service villas offering packaged tourism experiences.
The organisation further recommended the concept of Ayurveda homestays. Since not all homestays can provide Ayurveda treatment, an Ayurveda centre could be set up at a convenient location amid a cluster of homestays, creating business opportunities for both homestay entrepreneurs and the centre, Mr. Sivadathan explained.
Published – January 24, 2026 08:38 pm IST
