The first opening ceremony of the Capacity Building Program for Tribal Homestay Owners was held at Kautilya Hall, Hotel Samrat, New Delhi, by the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), a division of the Ministry of Tourism in association with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
In addition to boosting the professional hospitality abilities of tribal homestay entrepreneurs nationwide, the initiative represents a significant step toward fostering community-based tourism. Through organised training and capacity building by IHM Ashok, ITDC for Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the program seeks to raise service standards, enhance visitor experiences, and encourage sustainable livelihood prospects for tribal communities. The first group of forty participants from Gujarat, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh attended the program.
Ranjana Chopra, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs; Manish Thakur, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs; Mugdha Sinha, IAS, Managing Director, ITDC; Dr. Varnali Deka, IAS, Director, Ministry of Tribal Affairs; and Rajesh Rana, Director, Commercial & Marketing, ITDC, all attended the ceremony.
The publication “Tribal Homestay – Operation & Development Manual 2026,” created by IHM Ashok, was one of the event’s main highlights. The handbook offers an organised framework to assist in the growth and expert administration of tribal homestays throughout India.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs commented on the event, saying, “This initiative has the potential to transform local economies by equipping homestay owners with the basic principles of hospitality. This collaboration with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is an important milestone as ITDC commemorates sixty years of excellence. Through this training program, we are planting a little seed that will blossom into a robust and long-lasting model that encourages many more communities to embrace livelihood prospects driven by tourism.”
Speaking at the event, Managing Director Sinha stated, “The Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of establishing one lakh homestays across the country is a strong source of inspiration for the homestay movement in India. Our current initiative to teach 1,500 individuals is just the start. In order to facilitate the model’s quick expansion and guarantee that communities have access to training closer to home, the overarching objective is to enable them to become trainers of trainers in their own states.”
“This initiative also reflects our commitment to breaking silos and working through meaningful collaboration. We are developing a framework that promotes sustainable tourism while offering new chances for livelihood for communities around the nation by combining the capabilities and synergies of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Incredible India platform”, she continued.
