The Golden Temple in Amritsar, which is an important tourist and pilgrimage centre for the Sikhs receives an average of one lakh visitors per day. Most of the visitors are from outside Punjab and include people from around the country as well as Sikhs and Punjabis from foreign countries.

For the large number of tourists that come visiting this pilgrimage site, the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (“PHTPB”) is keen to start a Bed & Breakfast scheme in the state. Bed and Breakfast lodging is where home owners are allowed to give a maximum of their five rooms for such purposes.

Most of the visiting tourists stay at hotels in the city of Amritsar. The Bed & Breakfast lodgings will provide them with extra options and specially be helpful in times of important religious days when the number of pilgrims coming to visit the Golden Temple increases greatly.

The Punjab government has decided to start the Bed & Breakfast scheme in the cities of Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala where all the lodgings will be inspected and approved by the state government. These lodgings will be for all types of budgeted tourists. Categories will be provided to choose from, differing in rates and services provided. A website will be set up by the board to give all information to travelers and tourist.

Ludhiana has been chosen in the first phase of the scheme, as it is an industrial hub, and receives many visitors and business men from states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and many other places. Ludhiana is also known for the Kila Raipur Games known as Rural Olympics when the number of visitors in the city increases.

The third city, Patiala is included in the proposition as a long term tourism goal. In recent times the Patiala Heritage Festival has been gaining popularity.

The only concern of the Board is the misuse of the scheme, where the owners start operating their premises as a virtual hotel by offering more rooms. With negative experiences of the past, the Board has assured that the lodging premises will be inspected from time to time, once the approval has been given to owners of the houses.