The Goa government and the government of the Republic of Portugal have formulated a strategic alliance to revive the state’s original flavour, which is slowly losing its identity amidst rampant urbanisation. According to the state government’s plans, the focus of this alliance would be to develop the ‘home-stay’ concept, which has been a successful tourism tool in Portugal. In the early 1970s and 1980s, Goa fuelled its tourism growth actively through the home-stay concept. However, the segment today is virtually non-existent in the state, says deputy chief minister, Wilfred de Souza, who also holds the tourism portfolio. “We are trying to revive this tourism business model with the help of the Portugal government and the president of the Republic of Portugal, Anibal Cavaco Silva, has evinced interest in working together on this,” de Souza told Business Standard. Both, Goa and Portugal are to form a special task force with experts from either side to involve more local participation in tourism-related activities in the state. It would study the current market trends, form an umbrella company to bring all home-stay projects under a common enterprise and market the product to both Indian and international markets. The task force has already identified close to 6,000 additional rooms for the tourism industry. Besides the need to get more local participation, the tourism minister feels that there is also a need to redefine the image of Goa. “Today, the image of Goa tourism is getting more urban in its setting with large hotels, malls and multiplexes, while the actual beauty of Goa with its traditional houses that offered accommodation and food to its guests has lost its shine," de Souza pointed out. According to him, the move would help Goa keep a check on the erratic development of hotels in the state by being more stringent, yet making provisions for the need for rooms through home-stays.
source: Business Standard.
I would personally love to have a home stay in Goa.
I have been there n number of times, and cant seem to get enough of Goa!
The very fact that this is a good idea (I mean, money making, popular with tourists etc) is coz
1. its already happening (not in a structured fashion..but very much on!)
2. the five star deluxe hotels seem to have understood it too. there's been the Taj Holiday Village forever and then there is the Park Hyatt Goa with its real village inside the hotel.