Sexual assault on foreign tourist | Regulation of hospitality establishments, safety concerns come to fore

Mysuru: The recent sexual assault on a tourist from the USA at a homestay in Kutta, Kodagu district, close to Kerala border, gives rise to concerns on safety, especially of women, at popular tourist destinations.

As the victim is a foreign national, the reputation of the country is at stake. The tourism sector is negatively affected, impacting the livelihood of the people dependent on the tour, travel and hospitality industry.

C Narayana Gowda, president of Mysuru Hotel Owners Association said, the government should check the mushrooming of homestays, and the police department should keep a tab on the homestays in their jurisdiction.

Responsible tourism

He said homestay operators are behaving in an irresponsible way, leading to several problems. “In Mysuru city alone, more than 1,000 homestays have been listed on online platforms and mobile applications. But, not more than 50 of them have availed licences from the Tourism department. Obtaining no objection certificates (NOC) from the Police department and the respective civic body and licence from the Tourism department should be made compulsory. Besides, recruitment of staff should be carefully done. Their biodata and relevant documents should be collected and their details should be shared with the jurisdictional Police station,” he said.

N Nagendra of Kukkeshree Homestay, in Jayalakshmipuram, Mysuru, said, as honorary president of Mysuru District Homestay Owners Association, representing registered and law-abiding homestay operators, we condemn the recent inhuman act at Kutta, involving a foreign national.

“Irrespective of nationality, such incidents are unacceptable and should not occur in any homestay or hospitality establishment. We endorse responsible tourism and reiterate that the safety and dignity of guests must remain paramount,” he said.

Take sustained measures

“A similar heinous incident, involving a foreign national, took place in Hampi last year. Then, there was widespread outrage. But, it subsided within a month, without leading to systemic corrective action. We fear that the same pattern may repeat, unless urgent and sustained measures are taken,” he said.

Vice-president of Kodagu District Homestay Owners Association Naveen Ambekal said the incident is a black mark on the hospitality industry in Kodagu.

“We condemn the incident. Action should be taken against the accused. When the guest is a foreign national, homestays are mandated to submit ‘C From’ at the jurisdictional Police Station. Besides, the owners of any hospitality establishment should be careful while recruiting the staff,” he said.

Follow guidelines

Joint Director for Tourism K L Motilal said, the incident in Kodagu is unfortunate. “I have directed the district officers to take measures to regulate the hospitality sector, as per the department guidelines. Similar to hotels, lodges and restaurants, there are guidelines for homestays. Those who wish to operate homestays should obtain a licence from the Tourism department. We got the information that many homestays are operating without availing our licence. The law enforcing agencies should crackdown on them,” he said.

Kodagu Deputy Commissioner S J Somashekar said, the licence of the homestay in question at Kutta has been cancelled and the officials have been instructed to take strict action against the accused.

Action

Kodagu Superintendent of Police R N Bindu Mani said, action has been taken immediately after receiving information from the US Embassy and the accused have been arrested.

“To take stock of the situation and to ensure that such incidents do not occur in future, a meeting of the officials of the Police and Tourism departments has been convened,” she said.