Kargil, June 26: The Ladakh Environment and Health Organization (LEHO) recently organized a two-day comprehensive training program on homestay management in Chiktan village, Kargil district. The program, which took place on June 24 and 25, aimed to promote responsible tourism and was attended by ten homestay owners and the village coordinator.
Parishmita, Technical Consultant at LEHO, welcomed the participants and introduced the rural-tourism project initiated by the organization. She emphasized the roles and responsibilities of homestay owners in ensuring the project’s success, highlighting the importance of sustainable and responsible tourism practices.
Susheel Kumar, a lecturer at the Food Craft Institute, served as the resource person for the training. He provided an in-depth introduction to housekeeping, behavioral approaches, and hygiene. The afternoon session included a practical demonstration on housekeeping and room service, equipping the participants with essential skills to enhance their homestay operations.
LEHO’s volunteers played a crucial role during the training by assisting homestay owners in uploading their properties onto Google Maps and teaching them how to keep their listings updated. This digital integration is expected to increase the visibility of the homestays, attracting more tourists to the region.
The training concluded successfully, with Tashi Thokmat, Deputy Director of LEHO, addressing the participants in the concluding session. He underscored the importance of promoting rural tourism in Ladakh as a means to protect the environment, culture, and agriculture, and to support the village youth. Tashi shared LEHO’s achievements, noting that over 100 homestays with 200 rooms have been established across ten villages in UT Ladakh, all of which are performing well.
He expressed his gratitude to the homestay owners for their active participation in the training and their commitment to fostering sustainable tourism in the region. The success of this program marks a significant step towards enhancing rural tourism and supporting local communities in Ladakh.
