Mumbai, Oct 16 (PTI) India's first craft handloom village Pranpur in Madhya Pradesh is gearing up for higher tourist footfalls by developing homestays, which will be ready by November to welcome guests.
Pranpur has completed half a year, and more than 30,000 tourists have visited the village to explore the rich Chanderi weaving hub, Sheo Shekhar Shukla -- Principal Secretary, Tourism and Culture department, and Managing Director Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board -- told PTI in an email interaction.
"The Madhya Pradesh government is supporting the construction of six homestays in Pranpur village, where most villagers are part of the weaver community engaged in the production of the Chanderi fabric. Out of these, two homestays will be operational by November, and the rest 4 will start in January," he said.
The Tourism Board is expecting that after the homestay, facilities will accelerate the visitor momentum and provide them with the tranquillity of village life.
"This initiative intends to allow tourists to visit the weaver's community in Pranpur and directly interact with artisans, witness the weaving process, and understand the cultural significance of these textiles," Shukla noted.
The central Indian state is preserving its rich rural heritage through homestays, which is also helping to empower local communities, he added.
Besides Pranpur, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board is also planning to develop other craft villages for which it has identified Kukshi village in Dhar famous for Bagh prints, Bhairavgarh in Ujjain, renowned for Batik prints and Khariya and Keriyakhedi in Maheshwar for Maheshwari textile, the official noted.
Under its Rural Tourism Mission, the Madhya Pradesh government is in the process of transforming over 100 villages into tourist getaways with around 1,000 homestays offering authentic experiences for travellers, Shukla added.