7 days ago
ASR district to offer ‘tribal homestay' to tourists
Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district, gifted with its lush greenery, may soon offer 'tribal homestay' to tourists during the upcoming tourist season, starting in October. It is one of the 18 districts in the country where the Centre is promoting this concept.
The district administration is preparing a detailed project report (DPR), which will be submitted to the Centre by August 10. 'We have so far identified 72 tribal homes for this Centrally funded project. These houses will be redeveloped without disturbing their originality to make them suitable for accommodating tourists,' ASR Tourism officer G. Das told The Hindu on Monday (August 4).
Under this concept, houses are identified close to tourist attractions such as waterfalls like Chaparai, historical and heritage sites like Borra Caves. A suitable room for this project should have attached toilet and basic amenities (bed, fan/cooler/AC, light, table and chair and charging point). The house should be clean and in a tribal area, and its owner should be a tribesperson.
These tribal homestays should be associated with camping facilities and offer wilderness experience with wildlife viewing, adventure activities like rock climbing and trekking, and site visits to scenic places, coffee plantations, waterfalls and rivulets.
'The programme aims at providing tourists with an immersive experience in tribal lifestyle and at contributing to the economic development of the area. It is a unique and tribal and tourist friendly project. It will not only provide financial and infrastructural support to tribal families willing to accommodate tourists, but will also boost tourism, empower local communities and protect natural environment. Tribal families will get financial assistance to renovate their homes and create the necessary infrastructure to host tourists,' said Mr. Das.
In addition to tribal homestay, there will be another category called 'Homestay', where the houses doesn't have to belong to tribespeople, and the houses need not be located in tribal hamlets. Already 700-odd houses have been identified under this category, he added. Most of them are in Ananthagiri, Dumbriguda, Koyyuru, Paderu, Hukumpet, Munchingputt, Pedabayalu, Chintapalli, Araku Valley, Chintur, G.K. Veedhi and Rampachodavaram, he said.
