In a significant step towards promoting sustainable community-based ecotourism, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and Airbnb signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the International Tiger Day celebrations held at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Nagpur recently. The MoU aims to improve digital readiness, visibility, and market accessibility of homestay owners, enabling them to attract a wider range of domestic and international visitors.

 

Around 100 homestays are currently operating in and around the buffer villages of TATR. The MoU was exchanged in the august presence of Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister; Ganesh Naik, Forests Minister; Pravin Pardeshi, Chief Executive Officer, MITRA; Milind Mhaiskar, Additional Chief Secretary, Forests; Srinivas Rao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force; and M S Reddy, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife). Under the MoU, Airbnb is collaborating with TATRCF to support digital skilling, onboarding and capacity-building initiatives for homestay and bed-and-breakfast (B&B) hosts. The partnership includes conducting training workshops covering registration on the Airbnb platform, profile creation, photography, listing optimisation, guest communication and preparation of effective property descriptions.

 

The collaboration will also facilitate the exchange of best practices and insights on homestay and B&B regulatory frameworks from other regions, supporting TATRCF’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the policy and operational ecosystem for community-based tourism in Maharashtra. In the first phase of the programme, 30 homestays have been selected for capacity building. The first workshop was organised on July 10 and 11, witnessing enthusiastic participation from homestay owners. As a result of the initiative, 15 homestays have already been onboarded onto the Airbnb platform, with the remaining properties expected to be listed after completing the required preparations. Over the past few years, under the ‘Chanda to Banda’ initiative and with support from the TATRCF, several homestay owners have received financial assistance to establish and improve their facilities.

 

TATR is now focusing on enhancing the quality, hygiene, hospitality standards and market visibility of these community-run homestays. As part of this effort, studies are being undertaken by Gautam Buddha University and the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) to identify existing bottlenecks and recommend measures for strengthening the homestay ecosystem.