The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) and Airbnb are collaborating to enhance local hospitality standards in lesser-explored destinations. The two have entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that specifies Airbnb's commitment to capacity-building activities in selected pilot locations in Uttarakhand, the company said in a release.
The partnership will aim to onboard homestays onto the Airbnb platform. Expressing optimism about the collaboration, Sachin Kurve, Uttarakhand Tourism Secretary and UTDB CEO said, "This partnership with Airbnb will further expand our efforts to promote homestay culture in our state. Individuals in the tourism sector will receive training on responsible hosting, unlocking their potential to attract guests from India and abroad. Through this partnership, we're confident that travelers will be presented with enriching, immersive experiences."
Under the agreement, Airbnb will conduct workshops in designated pilot destinations to train 'model hosts'. The company will conduct a comprehensive review of homestay-specific gaps in these locations, sharing its assessment with UTDB.
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Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager - India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan at Airbnb, underscored the initiative's goal to empower microentrepreneurs in the region. Bajaj stated, "With this partnership, we aim to empower microentrepreneurs in the region by offering them training on hospitality standards, sharing hosting best practices, and encouraging responsible hosting initiatives. We are looking forward to working with the government to onboard homestays in the state on our platform."
Meanwhile, in November last year, the Uttarakhand government met with Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and sought expansion of the state's railways network to ensure tourist footfalls to state gets a boost. In the peak season time during December, the state failed to attract travellers, as roads to the hills were choked due to an influx in tourist arrivals.
When Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, met Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnav in Delhi, he requested the latter to help expand the railway network. Dhami put forth several requests, including the introduction of a Vande Bharat Express train connecting Lucknow and Dehradun, a direct train service from Ahmedabad to Kathgodam, Haridwar, and Dehradun, and expeditious approval for the long-awaited Tanakpur-Bageshwar rail line project.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
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