Lama said callers like Chakraborty were providing new insights into what tourists were looking for in the “new normal”, which would help the homestay sector. United Himalaya Homestay and Tourism Association coordinator Jeetu Giri said there were some 1,800 homestays in the hills and around 3,000 in north Bengal. “Many homestay owners are receiving booking queries,” Giri said, but added that they were not accepting bookings. “We will first have a meeting to assess what homestay owners want, get in touch with the police and administration and put in place standard operating procedures for everyone’s safety,” Giri said. Suraj Sharma, assistant director of tourism, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, also agreed that all stakeholders needed to talk before moving forward.

Source: The Telegraph June 10, 2020 22:41 UTC