Ng: Homestay Is More than Just Accommodation

KUALA LUMPUR: Homestay operators who only rent out their premises to tourists will not be recognised by the Tourism Ministry, said minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen. “The homestay programme is not only about accommodation. It is also, among others, about getting to know how the locals live and their culture, and visiting durian orchards and rubber estates. “Tourists must also be able to enjoy local dishes with Malaysians and experience village daily life with them,” she told reporters after opening an event on Connecting Homestay to the World (Indonesia market) at Seri Pacific Hotel here yesterday.

Besides providing tourists with experience in local village life in terms of culture and food, Dr Ng said the host was also expected to teach tourists songs, how to cook Malaysian fare or even play games.

Get to know Malaysia: Ng (third from right) introducing the homestay programme to Indonesia Business Women’s Association chief Irma Hafida Rachman (left) and other Indonesia participants Monday. Also present is Homestay Association of Malaysia chairman Datuk Sahariman Hamdan (right).

“We also encourage foreign tourists to plant a tree before they leave the country under our plant-a-tree programme,” she said, adding that the homestay programme had received positive response from both foreigners and locals. Currently, the ministry recognises 3,600 homes under its programme. She said the ministry wanted to prevent people from misusing the homestay brand as it had a lot of growth potential in both domestic and international markets. She said homestay operators also needed to give an assurance that they would keep their villages clean and that the conditions of the houses and their surroundings met the Government’s criteria. Dr Ng said Malaysia was also aiming to attract tourists from five Indonesian cities with its homestay programme. “These areas have high potential growth for homestay in Malaysia. “We hope to attract more Indo nesian tourists to visit us,” she said, adding that the cities were Pekan Baru, Medan, Bukit Tinggi, Padang and Bandar Aceh.