Gandaki Province Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey has stressed the importance of maintaining a family-like environment in homestays, highlighting the need to promote local culture and produce. His remarks were made during the closing and certificate distribution ceremony of a 15-day training and experience-sharing program organized by the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs for homestay operators from Baglung, held in Pokhara today.
Chief Minister Pandey emphasized that homestays should not rely on market-bought goods like vegetables, as this undermines the concept of a homestay. He stated, “Bringing in supplies from the market will not work; this is not the essence of a homestay. Going forward, we will not provide subsidies to homestays that lack local products and cultural representation.”
He also mentioned that the Gandaki Province government has been actively supporting women’s entrepreneurship and capacity building. The Chief Minister underscored the necessity of programs that uplift women’s living standards and make them self-reliant. “The provincial government will support initiatives that empower women and contribute to their self-reliance,” he added.
Shobha Gyawali, President of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs of Nepal, pointed out the significant challenges in developing women’s entrepreneurship. She noted that social and familial responsibilities often hinder women’s entrepreneurial growth. Gyawali mentioned that the Federation has been conducting programs for ‘Digital Marketing’ to assist women in this regard.
“The Federation has been organizing ‘Digital Literacy’ programs to engage women in production and help market their products,” she said. The Federation recently provided a two-week training on business digitization to operators and aspiring operators of the Bhakunde Community Homestay and Atithi Satkar Homestay in Baglung.
