1.
Jitendra Das
– Senior Lecturer, Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
2.
Nidharshana S.
– M.Sc. Research Scholar, Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
3.
Aneesha C. U.
– M.Sc. Research Scholar, Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Abstract
Cultural immersion is a process of keenly engaging and
experiencing different cultures through stays, participating in daily
life activities and to understand the values, customs and traditions
of the locals. Tourism is the main contributor to the state’s
economy in Kerala. The artforms, language, Traditional cuisine,
ayurvedic treatments and scenic backwaters are all significant
tourist offerings. The accommodations like homestays and hotels
draws major attention of the tourists. This study aims to compare
the cultural immersion through accommodation between hotels
and homestays of Kerala. This study also helps to evaluate how
different types of lodging such as hotels and homestays affect
cultural immersion of tourists and engagement with locals. This
study highlights how satisfied tourists are with their exposure
to various cultures in the districts that were chosen. The study
was administered on the tourists who visited the major districts of
Kerala which includes Alappuzha, Idukki, Ernakulam, Trivandrum
and Wayanad using questionnaire, based on their experiences.
This study discovers that homestays in Kerala generally provide
better, more authentic cultural experiences compared to hotels.
The study shows the importance of connecting accommodation
choices with tourist’s cultural interest and experiencing goals—
thereby increasing both guest satisfaction and the sustainability
of local tourism.
Keywords Culture, Homestay, Hotels, Kerala, Tourism
