Mahindra Holidays to help find homestays for Kerala travelers

14 September, 2008

The next time you plan your trip to Kerala, India try out the homestays. Finding the best homestays and choosing them to spend a few days is now easier with a unique tie-up. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Kerala Tourism and Mahindra Holidays and Resorts (MHRIL) to market and promote homestays in the state, internationally.

The MoU is a measure towards meeting the burgeoning accommodation needs in the fast-growing tourism sector of Kerala as well as in spreading the benefits of tourism to the local community. Kerala Tourism is taking various initiatives to aggressively promote homestays as a supplement to hotels and also to offer tourists an authentic experience of traditional Kerala hospitality. The tie-up with MHRIL is an important step in achieving these objectives, said Kerala tourism officials.

MHRIL has been a pioneer in the family vacation industry in India and has considerable expertise and experience in operating holiday resorts and providing holidays to its members, and international tourists, under the brand name ‘Club Mahindra’ and ‘Zest’. As part of its diversification plan, MHRIL, will market Kerala's homestays overseas as an experiential holiday product through its innovative portal www.mahindrahomestays.com

Some of our past stories on homestays in Kerala and given below

Best homestay vacation spots in Kerala, India

Another homestay near Kochi, Kerala

Homestay in Kerala near Thekkady, Kumily

Ecogreen Homestay near Kochi, Kerala - a taste of

Mappilassery Mansion Backwater Homestay near ...

The non exclusive MoU will be in force for a period of five years beginning September 5, 2008. Accordingly, MHRIL will classify, rate, brand and market Kerala homestays in select overseas markets. MHRIL will promote the homestays aggressively in the international markets and will start immediately with the United Kingdom, a key market for Kerala tourism industry. They will also support homestay owners in improving their operations by providing them with adequate training.

According to Keral Tourism Director Sivasankar, “this landmark agreement will be a successful move towards wooing the alert, independent traveler in search of experiential holidays.” He added that this agreement will help bring more than 350 classified homestays scattered across various destinations in Kerala under a single platform. The MoU is seen as helping homestays in Kerala as it will give them more market access and increased occupancies. This strategic alliance is a major incentive to homestay operators who find it difficult to market their product to a larger audience. One of the main clauses in the MoU is the joint promotion of homestays during trade fairs held in the domestic and international markets. Kerala Tourism will also approve MHRIL to use its distinguishing logos, trademarks, taglines etc. for the successful marketing of homestays.