Palpa, 12 June: Jantilung in Tinau Rural Municipality–6 and Maramkot in Ward No. 5 are key attractions from a tourism perspective. These places are naturally scenic, making them appealing for visitors to explore. From here, tourists can enjoy panoramic views of locations such as Tansen in Palpa, Butwal in Rupandehi, and Bardaghat in Nawalparasi. With the number of both domestic and international tourists increasing each year, organized homestay services have been introduced to accommodate them.
At present, locals are already running homestay programs to warmly welcome guests. The Jantilung Community Homestay offers a package priced at NPR 1,200 per person, which includes a welcome, evening snacks, dinner featuring local chicken, and breakfast.
From the naturally beautiful locations of Jantilung and Maramkot, visitors can enjoy panoramic views ranging from the Himalayas to the Terai plains. To further develop these areas as homestay destinations, Tinau Rural Municipality and the Lumbini Province Government are working on improving and organizing the existing homestay facilities.
With financial support from the provincial government and the rural municipality, Strengthening Development Nepal Palpa has initiated a one-week training program under the Chief Minister’s Innovation Partnership Program. This training covers homestay operation, management, and cooking skills and is being provided to current homestay operators and homeowners planning to host guests in both wards. The rural municipality chairperson, Prem Shrestha, stated that plans have been proposed to develop Jantilung and Maramkot as sources of income through tourism activities.
“Currently, places like Butwal and Bhairahawa are too hot to stay in during the summer, but Jantilung and Maramkot here have a cool climate. For this reason, we can attract guests and earn a good income. We have planned accordingly and started working,” he said. “We have launched a homestay promotion program to accommodate guests in an organized manner, delight them with local cuisine, and create an environment where they can enjoy the natural surroundings.”
Recently, the homestay business has been flourishing. Guests nowadays prefer local traditional food, arts, and culture over money. Considering the preferences of tourists visiting here, the rural municipality has started organizing homestays, said Deputy Chair Lalbahadur Thapa. He added, “The environment of Jantilung and Maramkot is very good, and we are hopeful that if the locals work to win the hearts of guests, this will become a good source of income.”
Deputy Chair Lalbahadur Thapa said that the roads leading to Jantilung are in good condition, making it possible to reach there from Jhumsā, Charchare, and Dumre in just half an hour. He believes that homestay businesses are an excellent way to generate income and promote the village.
Dhanishwar Basyal, Central Vice-Chair of Homestay Nepal, says that the homestay business can strengthen the village economically. He believes that this will increase agricultural production, livestock farming, and other types of employment in the village, which in turn will reduce the need for people to go abroad in search of work.
Tinau Rural Municipality is currently constructing seven new houses in Jantilung and two in Maramkot for homestay guests. Angelina Khanal, Chairperson of Strengthening Development Nepal Palpa, shared that training programs on beekeeping and pig farming have already been conducted for residents of both wards. In the coming days, programs on vegetable farming, goat farming, cooking, hospitality, guest room decoration, and observation visits will also be organized.
