A tourism product in Malaysia that is becoming increasingly
popular among local and foreign tourists is the homestay programme.
Under the homestay programme, tourists live with a
local family in a kampung (village) house and learn about close-knit family
relationships, enjoy sumptuous home-cooked food and discover the simple
lifestyle in the country. It offers a chance for visitors to experience the
daily life outside of bustling capital cities and puts tourists closer to our
natural “assets,” the culture and friendly people of Malaysia.
Each homestay village has something unique to offer
tourists and organises its own special activities for their guests such as
jungle trekking, fishing, rubber tapping, fruit picking, handicraft-making,
etc. From just RM80 a day, a guest will be hosted by a family and share their
meals and enjoy the daily
routines of a kampung life. Accommodation is usually
in traditional wooden houses on stilts set amidst a pretty landscaped garden.
Basic amenities include bed and bathroom (either en suite or commonly shared).
The homestay programme in Malaysia was first launched
in 1995 in Temerloh, Pahang. Since then, villages in other states have caught
on to the concept of hosting tourists in their kampung homes, and today, there
is a choice of villages offering the homestay experience in every state.
Generally, the homestay development policy in
Malaysia emphasises the utilisation of available resources of the kampung, the
conservation and maintenance of socio-cultural and artistic customs of the
village and also highlights the uniqueness of the Malaysian village life. The
homestay programme provides a supplementary source of income to its hosts and
inexpensive alternative accommodation to tourists. It is carried out in
collaboration with the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, respective
state governments and the Association of Homestay Malaysia.
To date, a total of 2,808 homestay operators from 142
villages throughout the country have been trained and licensed by the Ministry
of Tourism. The five states with the highest number of homestay villages are
Pahang, Sabah, Selangor, Johor and Sarawak.
Last year, more than 68,000 tourists both local and
foreign had a taste of the kampung lifestyle at the various homestay programmes
offered in Malaysia.
A total of 18,891 foreign tourists participated in
the homestay programme in 2007 compared to 10,038 tourists in year 2006; the
majority of them were from Japan, Korea and Singapore.
The Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia, recently launched
a website on the homestay programme which is accessible via
www.homestay.motour.gov.my.
The website provides online visitors with a list of
homestay operators in Malaysia and contact details for tourists to make
arrangements for bookings.
In addition, the Ministry has also introduced several
homestay packages under its Xperience
Holidays packages.
For details, visit http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my/en/xcape/holiday.pdf.
For more information, please contact,
Tourism Services Division
Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia
Tel : 603-2696 3970
Fax : 603-2693 7451
Mr. Haji Shahariman Hamdan
President
Malaysia Homestay Association
Tel : 609-284 6616 / 7496
Fax : 609-284 6610
Email : sbham@pc.jaring.my
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