DOMESTIC TOURISTS PERCEPTION ABOUT FACILITIES AND SERVICES AT HOMESTAYS IN COCHIN.

Homestay is the provision of alternative accommodation arrangements for the tourists by the residents. The Homestays are operated by individual or as community. In Kerala most of the homestays are operated by members of the family, Homestays are in and around the tourist attractions. The main objectives of the homestay are to increase the income of the homestay operators and also help the tourist to understand the local culture, by staying and sharing a room from the operators’ house. By staying in homestay tourists will have close interaction with the operators as well as the villagers. The main services offered by the homestay are accommodation, food, transport arrangements, accompanying tourists during their visits as guide and helping them for better purchase of the local products. Cochin is the important tourism destinations in Kerala, and it is an important beach destination having tourism attractions like beaches, temples, museums, basilica, bird sanctuary, waterfalls, cultural centers, palace, marine drive, amusement park, fort, shopping malls etc. The main advantages of homestay are distinctive accommodation, personalized services, local knowledge, homecooked food and unique activities. In Kerala Homestay tourism is familiar in Cochin, Wayanad, Alleppey, Munnar. There are around 3000 homestays are available in Kerala state. The Ernakulam district alone has 400 homestays, of which 250 homestays operates in Fort Kochi alone. A per the government norms, a homestay can have minimum of one room to six rooms and in each room, they can keep two beds to accommodate tourists. This research focuses on the tourist’s perception about the homestay operations in Kochi.

民宿（Homestay）指由当地居民为游客提供的替代性住宿安排。此类民宿可由个人独立运营，亦可采取社区集体经营模式。在印度喀拉拉邦（Kerala），多数民宿由家庭成员自营，且多选址于旅游景区及其周边区域。民宿的核心经营目标在于提升经营者的收入，同时通过让游客寄宿于经营者家中并共享住宿空间，帮助游客深入了解当地文化。入住民宿的游客可与经营者及当地村民开展密切互动。民宿提供的核心服务包括住宿、餐饮、交通安排、游览陪同导览，以及协助游客选购本地特色商品。科钦（Cochin）是喀拉拉邦境内重要的旅游目的地，同时也是知名海滨度假地，拥有海滩、寺庙、博物馆、宗座圣殿（Basilica）、鸟类保护区、瀑布、文化中心、宫殿、滨海大道、游乐园、古堡、购物中心等众多旅游资源。民宿的核心优势在于特色住宿体验、个性化服务、本土文化认知、家常餐食以及独特的互动活动。在喀拉拉邦，民宿旅游在科钦、瓦亚纳德（Wayanad）、阿勒皮（Alleppey）、慕纳尔（Munnar）等地广受欢迎。喀拉拉邦境内现有民宿约3000家。仅埃纳库拉姆县（Ernakulam District）就拥有400家民宿，其中250家坐落于科钦堡（Fort Kochi）区域。根据当地政府规范，单家民宿可配置1至6间客房，每间客房可配备2张床位以接待游客。本研究聚焦游客对科钦地区民宿运营的感知评价。