Hassan: In view of growing tourism activity in the district, deputy commissioner KS Latha Kumari has directed that all homestays and resorts operating in Hassan district must be registered to ensure the safety of tourists and the delivery of quality services.The DC stated that the accommodation facilities must comply with rules framed under Sub-section (3) of Section 8 of the Karnataka Tourism Trade (Facilitation and Regulation) Act, 2015. As per the Act, no individual is permitted to conduct or operate any tourism trade in regulated tourist destinations without obtaining registration, recognition or classification under the relevant category.Accordingly, all homestays in Hassan district must mandatorily register with the Karnataka tourism department. The district has hundreds of homestays and resorts, and tourism remains a major source of income for residents, providing livelihood to thousands of people. However, it has been found that a large number of these facilities are operating without a proper legal framework.Several homestays are functioning without registration, which constitutes a violation of the Act. In this regard, all homestay owners and operators have been instructed to submit the required documents to complete the offline registration process within 15 days. The documents include a gram panchayat no-objection certificate (NOC), e-khata or RTC, police NOC, proof of residence, Aadhaar card, owner’s photograph and photographs of the homestay.Owners must submit the documents to the deputy director, department of tourism, at the Yatranivasa premises on AVK College Road in Hassan.As per Sub-section (4) of the Act, any person found operating a tourism facility in violation of Sub-section (3) of Section 8, one year after the commencement of the Act, shall be guilty of an offence and, upon conviction, be liable to a fine of up to Rs 10,000.For further details, homestay operators may contact the deputy director of tourism, Hassan, at 08172-268862 or mobile number 9880028718, the DC said.
