Shodh Prabha: A Multidisciplinary Journal

Entrepreneurial Marketing and Livelihood Dynamics of Rural Homestays in West Bengal : A Comparative Study of Kalimpong and South 24 Parganas Districts

Homestays represent a quintessential sub-sector of tourism entrepreneurship, offering visitors a homely milieu equipped with basic amenities, authentic home-cooked cuisine and immersive cultural experiences. Catalysed by the West Bengal Homestay Tourism Policy (2017 & 2022), over 95% of these ventures currently operate in the rural hinterlands. Despite extensive global literature on homestay marketing, empirical research on the marketing dynamics of registered homestays in rural West Bengal remains scarce. Addressing this gap, this study investigates homestay proprietors' socio-economic profiles, focusing on entrepreneurial marketing strategies and livelihood generation. Employing Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR), primary data was elicited from 140 registered homestays (84 in Kalimpong; 56 in South 24 Parganas) across eight villages. Spatially, 45.24% of Kalimpong ventures operate in Kashyong Khasmahal, while 48.21% of southern counterparts cluster in Jharkhali. For business-to-business (B2B) linkages, northern entrepreneurs collaborate with travel agencies and transport operators, whereas southern proprietors partner with tourist guides and agencies. Across both districts, proprietors effectively leverage direct-to-consumer (D2C) platforms (Facebook, WhatsApp, Google Maps, MakeMyTrip) to sustain occupancy. Regarding socio-economic impact, homestays constitute the primary livelihood for 42.86% of Kalimpong proprietors, juxtaposed against only 23.21% in South 24 Parganas. To augment household incomes, Kalimpong entrepreneurs engage in secondary occupations like plantation labour, chauffeuring or horticulture. Conversely, South 24 Parganas proprietors rely on agriculture, pisciculture, casual labour or NGO coordination for economic sustenance.