Kerala Tourism to push for driver facilities in star-rating norms for hotels and resorts
Kerala Tourism is lobbying the Indian central government to mandate basic amenities for drivers, such as restrooms and dormitories, within hotel star-rating criteria. This initiative follows protests by taxi drivers demanding better working conditions in the tourism sector.
Why it matters
The move reflects a growing emphasis on labor rights and infrastructure standards within the hospitality industry, potentially setting a precedent for state-level tourism policy in India.
Kerala Tourism (KT) will take up with the Centre the need to include amenities such as well-maintained washrooms and dormitories in the checklist used by the Union Tourism Ministry to issue star ratings to hotels and resorts, a senior KT official said.
This comes in the wake of a protest by drivers on Friday at a luxury hotel here, seeking properly maintained washrooms for their use.
“At present, dedicated amenities for drivers are not mandatory for hotels and resorts to obtain classification from the Central agency. Rather, the focus is on fulfilling all the mandatory criteria with regard to hosting guests who visit them for accommodation or for food. Despite this, KT and Kerala Travel Mart [KTM] Society attempted to create such infrastructure at hotels and resorts a few years ago. But much more needs to be done,” the official said.
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