The Union Tourism Ministry has released new guidelines for homestays and bed & breakfasts, with an aim to bring about standardisation, reports The Hindu. The guidelines will form Common National Standards, but each state or union territory will have the freedom to figure out the intricacies independently.

If an owner or promoter resides in a facility, then it will be designated as a homestay establishment and in those where only an agent or operator is present will get the bed & breakfast designation.

A two-stage procedure will be used while granting either designation; in the said procedure the presence of facilities and services will be assessed as per a checklist. The guidelines will give preference to those homes which offer an Indian experience with such as Indian decor, cuisine, etc.

An official statement on the new guidelines said, “Formulation of the Common National Standards was imperative to standardise facilities and services that would be available to tourists in B&B and homestay establishments across the country.”