Shimla, Sept 18 – CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has launched the Tourism Startup Scheme in Hospitality Industry, dangling 3–5% interest subsidy on loans up to ₹2 crore for homestays and tourism ventures.
The subsidy will last just three years and is restricted to bonafide Himachalis.
On paper, it’s a booster shot for rural tourism, offbeat stays, and self-employment. In reality, it raises tough questions.
How many families, already squeezed by debt and disasters, can risk borrowing crores?
Will genuine rural households in Pangi or Spiti benefit, or will urban operators in Shimla and Manali grab the cream?
Tourism adds 7.78% to Himachal’s GDP, but past homestay schemes floundered on quality, licensing, and marketing gaps.
Ecological stress is already glaring — traffic chaos, garbage in rivers, landslides, and reckless construction. More homestays without stronger checks could worsen the mess.
The Sukhu government calls it “sustainable tourism.” Critics see it as another subsidy-driven promise with little long-term cushioning.
Himachal needs disaster-safe planning and real infrastructure upgrades, not just another loan subsidy wrapped as reform.
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