Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) announced a strategic partnership with Stayzilla, India’s largest homestay aggregator to boost adoption of homestays and unlock maximum number of rooms during the peak tourist season in Punjab. Tourism Department, Punjab signed MoUs in the regard with Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation, Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board and Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited.Congratulating the department on this occasion Mr. Sohan Singh Thandal, Minister of Tourism and Cultural affairs and Archives and Museums said that “With sprawling farmlands and majestic rivers, Punjab has plenty to offer to tourists from all across the world. October onwards Punjab witnesses huge influx of tourists in Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Bhatinda. Our partnership with leading Homestay aggregator, Stayzilla will help in the growth of homestays across the state and address the under supply of quality rooms. Tourism in the state is always growing and we look to host as many tourists as we can. Stayzilla will be our strategic partner to help educate the locals and aid the growth of the homestay ecosystem”,
An official spokesperson of the Tourism Department said that the MoU was signed and exchanged in the presence of Mr. Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa PCS, CEO Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board along with Mr Ankit Rastogi, VP Marketplace, Stayzilla and various other Punjab Tourism Department representatives.He said that under this agreement, Stayzilla will assist PHTPB with verification procedures and jointly boost homestays and unique stays like Farm Stays, Bed and Breakfast and Tented rooms in cities & places of interest within Punjab. All homestays registered with PHTPB will receive technical support in the form of inventory management and software applications to ensure seamless booking procedures. Stayzilla & PHTPB will also jointly conduct educational and training sessions for registered homestays on best practices such as online usage, content management, operations and expense management.The company has conducted over 250 sensitization workshops across the country, and has unlocked close to 33,000 rooms. In Punjab which leads the country in exotic farm stays, Stayzilla currently has over 200 Home stays across and has also conducted 5 workshops in Punjab to create awareness about Homestays