Sukhu Orders Development of Online Portal for Homestay Registration Within 10 Days

Departments directed to issue tenders for hiring capable software firms to design a user-friendly system

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday directed officials to develop an online portal for the registration of homestay units within ten days — a key step toward advancing digital governance in Himachal Pradesh’s tourism sector.

Chairing a high-level meeting to review ongoing tourism projects, the Chief Minister instructed departments to issue tenders for the appointment of competent software firms to design a user-friendly, integrated portal across departments.

Sukhu emphasized that all payments related to Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) hotels, General Administration Department (GAD) guest houses, and other departmental rest houses — including meal bills — should be processed entirely online.

He also directed that professional architects be empaneled to prepare project designs under initiatives supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Tourism Development Board, with advertisements for the same to be issued within ten days.

“Our aim is to remove administrative bottlenecks and simplify procedures to enhance the ease of doing business in the tourism sector,” Sukhu said.

The Chief Minister also reviewed the draft rules of the proposed Tourism Investment Promotion Council (TIPC), suggesting certain modifications and the inclusion of hotels currently under construction. He urged for expedited operation and maintenance (O&M) of loss-making HPTDC units to improve efficiency and expand facilities for tourists.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Principal Secretary Devesh Kumar, Tourism Director Vivek Bhatia, and other senior officials.