Tourism Department serves notices to 112 unregistered homestays in Chikkamagaluru district

The mushrooming of illegal homestays in popular tourism destinations has been an issue in Karnataka for years now, especially in places such as Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, and Sakleshpur in Hassan district.

Working with the district administration of Chikkamagaluru, the Tourism Department has now identified 112 illegal homestays in various taluks of the district. With this year’s monsoon being better than the previous year’s, Chikkamagaluru has been attracting a lot of tourists since June. Many homestays in the district advertise themselves on social media with scenic views and proximity to the hills as their unique selling point.

Replying to a question in the Legislative Assembly regarding illegal homestays, H.K. Patil, Minister for Tourism, said district officials were asked to conduct a survey of all the homestays in Chikkamagaluru district and submit a report in April. According to a recent survey, the Minister said there were 607 registered homestays in the district, while 112 illegal establishments were identified.

While 61 such unregistered homestays have been identified in Chikkamagaluru taluk, 29 of them have been identified in Mudigere taluk, eight of them in Kalasa taluk, seven in Tarikere taluk, four in Koppa taluk, and three unregistered homestays have been identified in Sringeri taluk.

Mr. Patil said unregistered homestays have now been served notices to get registered under the Tourism Department as per guidelines. The department has also warned the owners of unregistered homestays that legal action would be taken if they failed to register themselves, he said. 

However, the locals in Chikkamagaluru said that this number was a gross underestimate. “There are at least 500 unregistered homestays in Chikkamagaluru district. In some places, they are taking in tourists in every house. It is easy to identify unregistered establishments in town limits, but in estates where there are single houses, no one knows who comes and goes,” said N.R. Thejaswi, president of the Chikkamagaluru Homestay Association. 

He said multiple complaints to the district administration, Tourism Department, and the police have gone in vain so far with little to no action. “Only recently, they closed a couple of homestays near Bababudan Giri,” Mr. Thejaswi said.

Registered homestay owners also fear that in case of any untoward incidents in unregistered establishments, the whole sector will be blamed.