KOCHI: Homestays are the ideal accommodation option for discerning tourists as large-scale hotels and resorts entail huge investment and also affect the ecology, Prof. Tetsuya Nakatani from Japan has said.
During his Kerala stint, he is checking out homestays, rural tourism ventures, and the State’s Responsible Tourism locales.
Having majored in Sociology, he teaches sustainable tourism at Nara Perfectural University, located close to Osaka. He is visiting India to conduct research on the field. He expressed happiness at homestays being part of Kerala’s Responsible Tourism initiative. “International tourism trends are shifting from siteseeing to experiential tourism, and homestays perfectly fall in place. The host family serving home-cooked food, the warm hospitality and a safe and secure feel at a homestay, and mostly affordable tariff are unparalleled. Only that owners have to be wary of possible fluctuations in tourist arrivals owing to global political and security situation, domestic unrest, and epidemics,” Prof. Nakatani said.
In Japan, homestays are located mostly in rural areas and accommodate group tourists, mainly students who are on tour.
On Kerala, Prof. Nakatani said the State had a fascinating variety of tourism resources, including art forms, backwaters, and Ayurveda. Though Ayurveda massage is popular in Japan, few know it has its roots in Kerala. Moreover, Japanese tourists know mostly of the golden triangle – New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. All this calls for better marketing by Kerala tourism, he added.