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MAJORITY OF ‘HOMESTAYS’ IN COORG ARE ILLEGAL. VISITORS SHOULD ENSURE THEY STAY AT GOVT REGISTERED HOMESTAYS FOR SAFETY

By P.T. Bopanna

In light of recent alleged rape of an American guest at a Coorg homestay, visitors to Kodagu (Coorg) should ensure they stay at a homestay registered with the Karnataka tourism department.

Besides, most of the homestays in Kodagu are presently illegal as they are not registered. Staying at unregistered homestays is risky as they lack scrutiny from official agencies. These homestays may be involved in immoral activities.

With a view to step up monitoring, the government recently proposed that “all registered units be integrated with the police’s Smart E-Beat system, enabling GPS-based tracking of beat constables’ visits and maintaining a digital audit trail. Mandatory police verification of all staff—both permanent and contractual—has also been proposed, with records maintained for inspection.”

Owner-occupied homestays are treated as domestic units, while commercially run B&B establishments must obtain trade licences. 

I have sourced from tourism department the list of registered homestays and posted them on my website www.coorgtourisminfo.com. It is possible that the registration of some of these homestays have lapsed, or they may have closed down operation. Hence visitors should satisfy themselves that they stay at registered homestays, recognised by the tourism department.

Further, I wish to clarify that I am not promoting any homestay and my website is engaged in sharing authentic information to people visiting Kodagu.

Sharing link to the homestays section: