Sikkim government bans homestay owner from leasing, renting their establishments to third party

The Sikkim government has banned homestay owners in the Himalayan state from leasing and renting their establishments to any third party, an official said on Tuesday. 

Homestays will now be run and operated only by the local entrepreneur owning the business. 

An advisory issued by the state government's Tourism and Civil Aviation department on September 11 stated that as per rule of the Sikkim Registration of Homestay Establishment Rules of 2013, the homestay owners are not permitted to lease, rent their homestay unit to any third party and that the homestay owners are advised to comply with the same. 

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Further, any report on violation of the same shall be dealt with strictly by the department, it said. 

The Homestay Association of Sikkim(HAS) has been demanding a ban on leasing and renting of homestay establishments to any third party. 

The Sikkim government provides subsidised loans for the establishment of homestays in the Himalayan state to promote entrepreneurship amongst local stakeholders in the Tourism industry.