The tourism department & state government of Karnataka recently hinted at the opening of hotels and lodging. Many travelers who have been visiting homestays in Karnataka as their leisure getaway have several questions on their mind. Travel Malnad® has tried to answer several queries of guests and hosts at homestays in recent blogs. As we all are aware of the fact that the virus is not gone, it will be there with us for couple of months or may be years.

How do we prepare ourselves to face ‘the new normal’ in tourism sector is the big challenge for all stake holders.
If have to take for example homestay in malnad, they are mostly located in the estates, forest region and in a typical rural set up. The owners or hosts at the homestays must be fully prepared for a clear-cut hygiene protocol & period screening for both guests and the staff. It is very important for the stays to invest little money in upgrading the house keeping routines & use of relevant sanitizers. Meanwhile, the tourism department is also shortlisting the rules & regulations that has to be strictly followed by travelers and hosts.

Some of the bear minimum practices in the new normal as identified by experts at Travel Malnad®;
1. Use sodium hypochlorite to sanitize rooms before and after occupancy. Also should be done periodically while guests stay for extended holiday and head out for sightseeing.
2. Along with placing in room essentials you must add masks & sanitizers.
3. Thermal screening should be done every time people enter from outside. Also routine screening for staff at homestays.
4. Hand gloves & head gears for staff while on duty. Train them to maintain social distancing at all time.
5. Social distancing for guests as well while doing activities or dining at the homestay.
6. Encourage buffet dining for guests. They can serve what they need and eat at designated seats.
7. In case you find anyone having symptoms of cold, cough, flu and any symptoms related to Covid 19 then you must inform local authorities without hesitation.
8. Encourage your guests to book online using portal like travelmalnad.com
9. Maintain contact-less check in processes at your stays.
10. Use your smart phones to collect data like, e-voucher, Aadhar or Id Card and Other Documents.

These are few most important points to consider while planning your reopening of homestay. There could be other inputs from the tourism ministry in coming days. We will add those points to this article and republish. However, we request you all to remember at all times that we stop the spread of virus while we conduct our hospitality businesses. Together we can make the tourism sector to emerge as one of the most safe and successful industry in coming months & years.