Homestay Operators Research Articles

Research on the Impacts of Homestay Program on Rural Areas in Case of Homestay Program in Jingxian County, Anhui Province, China

This paper examines the development and impact of homestay programs in Jing County, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, China, with a particular focus on the rural Cai Cun Village. Homestay programs have gained popularity among urban Chinese tourists seeking respite from city life, offering them immersive experiences in rural environments. The study underscores the importance of homestays as a rural development strategy, highlighting their role in enhancing local infrastructure, boosting economic growth, and fostering community cooperation. By analyzing demographic, social, economic, political, cultural, and geographic factors, as well as interviewing local homestay operators, the research identifies both the benefits and challenges associated with homestay operations. Key issues such as management inefficiencies, audience limitations, seasonal unemployment, and non-committing participants are discussed. The paper proposes solutions, including the integration of agricultural activities, targeted advertising, and increased government intervention to address these challenges. The findings offer valuable insights for potential homestay operators and contribute to the broader discourse on rural revitalization, emphasizing the potential for homestays to drive sustainable development in less-developed regions.

Exploring Tourist Satisfaction In The Homestays of Arunachal Pradesh: A Case Study of Tawang District

For visitors staying in such accommodation, homestay services are essential to fulfilling their expectations. This paper explores how the quality of Homestay tourism services influences tourist satisfaction. Using the "Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh" as its focal point, the research attempts to comprehend the association between several homestay service qualities and visitor happiness in 2023. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire, yielding 100 usable responses from tourists staying local Homestays. Three dimensions of Homestay services- Accommodation and Environment, Amenities, and Services were used to measure tourist satisfaction. The reliability test indicated high reliability for both independent and dependent variables. The findings suggest that the quality of Homestay services positively impacts tourist satisfaction, with higher quality leading to increased satisfaction. These insights will be beneficial to Homestay operators and policymakers in the state.

A Review on Benefits of Homestay Tourism in Nepal

Homestay tourism in Nepal has become a prominent and sustainable model, offering a range of socio-economic, cultural, and environmental benefits. This review explores how homestays contribute to these areas, highlighting examples from across the country. Since the introduction of homestays in Sirubari in 1997, the model has expanded to over 200 homestays across 60 districts. Google Scholar, Web of Science, Research gate, JSTOR, and Scopus using keywords like “homestay tourism in Nepal” and “benefits of homestay tourism.” Relevant peerreviewed articles, reports, and literature published between 2010 and 2024 were included. Homestays in various regions provide tourists with immersive experiences in ethnic cultures, including traditional festivals and local crafts, which help preserve cultural heritage and build community pride. Economically, these homestays generate essential income for local families, improve access to education and healthcare, and boost local businesses through increased demand for goods and services. Environmentally, homestays adopt sustainable practices such as waste reduction and solar energy use, with tourism revenue supporting conservation projects like reforestation and wildlife protection. By aligning with global trends toward responsible tourism, homestays reduce ecological impact and foster meaningful interactions between tourists and hosts. The review recommends implementing comprehensive training programs for homestay operators to enhance sustainable practices and maximize benefits, ensuring the long-term success and positive impact of homestay tourism in Nepal.

Investigating the Impacts of Homestay Tourism on a Local Community: Homestay Operators' Perspectives in Anantnag District

Investigating the Impacts of Homestay Tourism on a Local Community: Homestay Operators' Perspectives in Anantnag District

Strategi Pengembangan Pelancongan Islamik di Nusantara Melalui Model Homestay Patuh Syariah (MHPS) di Sabah / Strategies for the Development of Islamic Tourism in the Archipelago Through the Shariah Compliant Homestay Model (SCHM) in Sabah

The strategy of developing Islamic tourism in the archipelagos through the Shariah-Compliant Homestay Model in Sabah (MHPS) requires a holistic, structured approach. Key strategies include improving homestay infrastructure, providing courses for homestay owners on Sharia compliance, effective digital marketing, local community collaboration, religiously oriented tourism packages, and active involvement of religious institutions. The use of technology, efficient management, periodic evaluation, and developing local skills are crucial aspects of this Sharia-compliant homestay model. This approach aims to create a tourism experience that aligns with Sharia principles, positioning MHPS in Sabah as an attractive destination for Islamic tourists within the archipelago and globally. The success of this model depends on stakeholder cooperation and commitment to the continuity of Islamic tourism. The research method employed includes in-depth interviews with 30 homestay operators in Sabah, literature review, and field observation. The study shows that while Islamic tourism potential in Sabah and the archipelago is high, Sharia-compliant accommodation remains limited. Therefore, a comprehensive development strategy is essential to promote MHPS as a viable accommodation option for Muslim tourists. This strategy should involve government, entrepreneurs, and local communities, ensuring elements like cleanliness, gender separation, and halal food standards. Moreover, a strong marketing strategy emphasizing Islamic values and natural beauty preservation is necessary. The findings of this study are intended to guide relevant parties in maximizing Islamic tourism potential in Sabah and the archipelago, particularly in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, and other Asian countries. MHPS development is anticipated to increase the influx of Muslim tourists from Asia and beyond, generating economic benefits for local communities.

Investigating Social Media Marketing Adoption among Homestay Operators in Malaysia

The widespread use of social media has revolutionized communication, connectivity quality, and information consumption, making it an indispensable element in human daily lives. As such, social media marketing has emerged as a crucial tool for businesses to promote their products and services. In the case of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, however, found that the adoption of social media marketing remains low, particularly among homestay operators. This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence homestay operators in Malaysia to adopt social media as a marketing medium. By employing a cross-sectional research design, a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect responses from a total of 208 homestay operators in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, and Johor. The results generated by the Structural Equation Modeling revealed that customer pressure and preference, as well as competitive pressure, have a significant impact on social media marketing adoption compared to perceived cost and digital skills. Significantly, this study provides valuable insights to the authorities to understand more about social media marketing adoption among homestay operators in Malaysia so that effective strategies can be highlighted to encourage SMEs in Malaysia to fully utilize new technology for business purposes. Overall, SMEs need to employ new technologies, specifically social media marketing for business growth as it provides extensive and effective connectivity at low cost.

Socio-Economic Impact of Homestay: A case study of Tharu Homestay Patalganga, Birendranagar 3, Surkhet

Homestay tourism has been emerging as a form of sustainable tourism in many rural areas as a community development program in Nepal. The entire activities from the particular location have been integrated as a major component of rural tourism in homestay programs.To examine the socio-economic status of homestay owner. This study having the objective to explore the cultural practices of Tharu community, examine the socio-economic status of homestay owner describe the demographic pattern of the study area. Tharu community from Patalganga has been operating homestay programs where guests are offered only basic facilities i.e. normal bed just as the host sleep in their own bed, local food as host normally eat, and unique traditional hospitality with different cultural and natural beauties of particular area. Local cultural activities, traditional lifestyle of host, local tests can be experienced by guests taking part in a homestay program.Tharu people are rich in culture, have their own language, custom, and culture. This Patalganga community homestay perform the following cultural dance to entertainment the tourists like circle dance, stick dance and sakhiyadance. There are some challenges for doing home stay business in Patalganga village. The qualitative characteristics of social capitals such as road, transportation, energy, communication, security, are not supportive to the homestay. Homestay in Patalganga has created an alternative source of income for the concern family of the homestay operators. However, the families face the internal and external problems in the entire homestay. Homestay is a very effective tourism tool for economic sustainability, and natural sustainability of rural community by preserving the local tradition and culture.

Malaysian homestay experience programme: A qualitative investigation on operator's crisis management practices and resiliency strategies

Understanding the specific crisis management practices and resilience strategies homestay operators adopt during a crisis is critical. Currently, it is an area that remains under-researched despite the growing importance of resilience in community-based tourism operations. As such, this study investigates the crisis management practices and strategies for resiliency that homestay operators adopt during a health crisis. This qualitative study has been conducted via semi-structured interviews among ten prominent homestay operators in Malaysia. The thematic data analysis using an inductive approach was employed to ensure the transferability of the findings. The study found that marketing initiatives, pandemic prevention measures, maintenance practices, and government assistance were the best crisis management practices homestay operators could implement during the pandemic phase. Homestay operators have adopted four resilience strategies to survive after the pandemic: for other creative business opportunities, government assistance, use of technology innovation, togetherness in mitigating the pandemic, and industry engagement and collaboration. The results provide comprehensive strategies to the policymakers and industry stakeholders to strengthen homestay businesses in the future. Such understanding enables government efforts to maintain CBT sustainability, which is in line with the National Tourism Policy (2020–2030) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1 (No Poverty), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). The results are also expected to assist homestay operators in re-strategizing and striving toward recovery and resiliency after the crisis.

Pelatihan Keterampilan Komunikasi dalam Akomodasi Pondok Wisata pada Warga Desa Wisata Besani

Communication Skills Training in Homestay Business for Residents of Desa Wisata Besani Tourism has become a crucial sector in the local economic development and cultural preservation in Indonesia. This article discusses a training activity on communication skills within the context of homestay accommodation for the residents of Besani Tourism Village in Batang Regency, Central Java. The training, successfully conducted in November 2023, involved 28 participants from various segments of society, including homestay operators and members of the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis). Through lectures and simulations, the pretest and post-test results showed a significant improvement from 18-36% to 89-100% in the understanding of communication skills. The outcomes of this training are expected to assist Besani Tourism Village in developing sustainable homestay businesses by engaging in collaborations with various stakeholders, enhancing management skills, digital marketing, and environmental conservation. This article provides new insights into the importance of communication skills training in the context of homestay accommodation within rural communities and offers recommendations for tourism village officials and residents of Besani Tourism Village to continue their efforts in local tourism development with enthusiasm for collaboration and active participation.

Homestay Operators' Experiences in Initiating and Developing Homestay Enterprises

Community homestay development is one of the strategies to culture-based accommodation, mostly in the rural and remote settlements in Nepal. Homestay tourism has been in practice for more than two decades, and it is rapidly spreading in many parts of the country. This article attempts to bring the views and experiences of community homestay operators regarding their understanding, awareness, perceived benefits, and homestay initiation and development practices from Mahabharat Hills of Bagmati Province. Ethnographic field observations and 'bhalakusari' (in-depth talk) were the dominant methods applied during the data collection process. The findings suggest that due to multiple types of perceived as well as experienced benefits from community homestay tourism, locals have enthusiastically learned and adopted homestay enterprising, in which local-level institutional facilitation and support activities have become main motivators in the processes. In such areas, gradual increase in external facilitation, exposure and capacity development endeavors, increasing tourist arrivals, and wide ranges of direct and indirect economic, socio-cultural, and environmental benefits are visible. All these factors have encouraged the locals to engage and expand community homestay development initiatives in their areas. Despite multiple positive facets of homestay tourism, there exist some challenges too. The article also suggests some policy and practice-level implications.

Digital Technology Adoption as a Game Changer for Community-based Tourism (CBT) Homestay Operators: A Qualitative Investigation

Malaysia’s tourism industry has incorporated digital technology to attract, inform and serve travellers, but its adoption is limited among community-based tourism (CBT) providers. Because of its importance in the tourism industry, exploring the factors that trigger or hinder the adoption of digital technology among CBT operators is essential. A qualitative approach was utilised, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 CBT homestay operators selected through purposive sampling. The study found differences in the perception and usage behaviour of tourism-related technology among homestay operators. They find digital technology has improved their business operation efficiency and revenue performance. By improving internet connectivity and access to digital resources, homestay operators will be better positioned to utilise digital technology effectively, facilitating improved communication and marketing strategies. Besides, implementing targeted training programmes to enhance homestay operators’ digital literacy is crucial. The study also identified specific challenges that hindered homestay operators’ use of digital technology. Study implications and limitations are also discussed.

Variables Affecting Tourist Satisfaction at Tapeshwari Buffer Zone Community Homestay in Belaka Municipality

Tourist satisfaction is very important for local community to operate the homestay. This research paper focuses on investigating factors influencing tourist satisfaction in homestays. Its objective is to analyze these variables, understand the types of tourists choosing homestays, and assess the local community's commitment to ensuring tourist satisfaction. This article focuses on Belha village of Belaka Municipality, Udayapur. The research design incorporates both qualitative and quantitative methods, aiming for a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon through various theories and data collection approaches: preliminary interviews, telephonic interviews, structural interviews, Google surveys etc. have been used. The data collected from 82 participants indicates that Tangibles, Environment, Nutriments and Commitment are the significantly strong predictor of tourist satisfaction and this study further shows that commitment of the homestay operator is much stronger predictor of tourist satisfaction. This study explored the TENC Tangibles, Environment, Nutriments and Commitment) model with 25 measurement items to gauge the satisfaction of tourists staying in the homestay. This shows that Tangibles, Environment, Nutriments and Commitment (TENC) in a homestay lead towards the tourist satisfaction. The homestay should focus on exploring their culture and traditions, updating the tangible facilities and providing trainings to the homestay operators for the better service.

Homestay drives community's socio-economic development and sustainability; a case study of Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan

Northern Pakistan is one of the most visiting places by both domestic and foreign visitors. This visitation phenomenon encourages residents to commercialize their residences portion a partial sharing into homestays. The northern area tourists have the privilege to experience homestay operations due to a shortage of lodging demand-supply gaps. A homestay is an idea of accommodation operation in which a visitor pays a charge to stay with a host family and engage with the native population. GB in general and Skardu in particular, benefited from the homestay due to national and international tourist flow. Homestay in Pakistan is not standardized or even not regularized. However, there are still many newcomers in the homestay business while owners do not understand business requirements, and the majority of them are not get training. Social media and online booking is popular channels for selling products. This study includes an assessment of community perceptions of how much the Homestay program influences the community in Skardu city, and even a discussion about the issues that Homestay operators and the community face. A cross-sectional research design with both quantitative and qualitative statistics (QUAN-QUAL Techniques) was used to examine the data. The data on a semi-structured questionnaire was collected from 30 homestay operators in the city. This research highlighted numerous characteristics of homestay growth, issues, and prospects.

When a villager is a rural homestay operator: role expectation research using the machine learning model?

ABSTRACT With the growing development of the Chinese rural tourism industry, villagers are gradually becoming involved in tourism, and the role of rural inhabitants has shifted. However, understanding tourists’ expectations of rural tourism operators remains challenging. This paper uses machine learning techniques such as LDA and SnowNLP to analyse online review data from 115 rural homestays in Hainan Province. Five topics of role expectations are identified, which can be grouped into quality expectations, image expectations, obligation expectations and attached expectations. Corresponding types of content are then mapped onto a convertible and dynamic model of residents’ role expectations, based on the concepts of ascribed status and achieved status, to discover the mechanism of role transformation of rural homestay operators. It is worth emphasising that residents’ roles are not singular in the particular spatial context of rural tourism operations. Image expectations within the achieved status can transfer from the ascribed status, while the gap between quality expectations and reality implies rural residents’ immaturity as operators. This study holds significant implications for the management and practice of rural tourism.

Financial Literacy Planning for Homestay Management Activities in Coastal Tourism Areas

This research aims to analyze the influence of financial literacy on the intention to improve performance and sustainability of homestay operators in Pinrang Regency. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the study explores how financial literacy affects attitudes toward behavior, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, and their impact on the operators' intention to enhance performance and sustainability. Results show that financial literacy significantly influences attitudes toward behavior, perceived behavior control, and subjective norms of homestay operators. The intention to improve performance and sustainability is positively influenced by attitudes and perceived behavior control, while subjective norms have no significant impact. These findings highlight the crucial role of financial literacy in supporting homestay performance and sustainability in Pinrang Regency, emphasizing the need for continued support from relevant stakeholders.

Community education as a lifelong learning to support sustainable tourism

A community-based tourism (CBT) approach has become an integral part of rural and sustainable tourism development strategies. However, CBT has some constraints on being sustainable due to some internal weaknesses and external concerns, including poor marketing competencies. As a top-down government initiative, Malaysian CBT homestay is blessed with numerous assistance to ensure its survival which in the other hand, creates over-reliance toward other parties. This lack of marketing expertise challenges homestay sustainability. This study examines the importance of community education in marketing activities as a lifelong learning towards sustainable tourism in Malaysia. Qualitative case study is employed to gain an extensive and in-depth explanation on homestay’s marketing implementation and its issues. A semi-structured interview was taken to 9 homestay operators. This study employs a thematic data analysis to investigate the interview results. Research findings show that in majority, the community enjoys the comfort zone provided by government and travel agents, hence encourage the resistance for change. However, a few homestay demonstrates positive respond to involve lifelong learning through community education to support sustainable tourism. More importantly, partnership between various key stakeholders are the utmost important to ensure policy planning and to improve community education quality.

How Are Rural Homestays Achieving Sustainable Development in the Post-COVID-19 Period: Value Co-Creation by Operators, Tourists, and Government

The mental fatigue of rural homestay operators is of great significance to their performance as well as the sustainability of the rural tourism industry. Mental fatigue is a state of mind caused by consistently demanding cognitive activities. The mental health of rural homestay operators has been severely hit during the COVID-19, and they are in urgent need of finding a path to recovery. Based on value co-creation theory, this paper explores how rural homestay operators’ mental fatigue affects their performance under the moderating effects of government support and tourists’ participation. We conducted a questionnaire survey in the 19 rural tourist destinations of Nanjing, China, and collected a total of 201 questionnaires from the homestay operators. The results reveal that the operators’ mental fatigue has a negative effect on the performance of rural homestays. What’s more, tourists’ participation could moderate the relationship between operators’ mental fatigue and their performance. Although the moderating effects of government support are not significant, they can influence operators’ performance directly and indirectly. Through the value co-creation of operators, tourists, and government with the aim of improving the performance value of the rural homestay co-creation process, the operators’ mental fatigue could be alleviated and their performance restored. These findings can help us explore the recovery mechanism of rural homestays and promote the sustainable development of rural tourism in the post-COVID-19 period.

Exploring the motivational factors, empowerment, and sustainability outcomes of homestay operators in Solan, Himachal Pradesh

Exploring the motivational factors, empowerment, and sustainability outcomes of homestay operators in Solan, Himachal Pradesh

Assessing the sustainability of the homestay industry for the East Coast of Malaysia using the Delphi approach

Homestay ecotourism in Malaysia has been extensively examined in terms of its concepts, approaches, activities, and community engagement. However, a comprehensive assessment of the sustainability factors pertaining to host families remains a critical area awaiting exploration. This is paramount for ensuring the long-term viability of homestays and fostering economic benefits within rural communities. The present study seeks to establish direct subjective measurements for evaluating the interplay between local communities, tourism, and resources in safeguarding sustainable homestays. Utilizing the Delphi approach, this research conducted interviews with 51 experts who were actively involved in six homestays located on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The objective was to identify key evaluation indicators pertinent to the homestay industry. The findings underscored the pivotal roles played by community resources and tourism in the sustainability of homestays. Additionally, environmental, economic, and social factors emerged as crucial components for maintaining the industry's sustainability. This innovative assessment methodology offers a valuable instrument for enhancing the sustainability of the homestay sector, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. By embracing this approach, homestay operators can fortify their sustainable management practices and prepare themselves for future pandemics. This study represents a significant contribution to the field of homestay ecotourism, emphasizing the imperative for continued research in this dynamic domain.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC: REVISIT THE CHALLENGES AND SUSTAINABILITY OF HOMESTAYS IN MALAYSIA

The Malaysian Ministry of Arts, Tourism and Culture (MOTAC) has been promoting homestay programs among the local community as a means to enhance quality of life and facilitate sustainable development. The community's distinct characteristics and cultural significance have effectively attracted the tourism sector and aligned with the 'Truly Asia' Campaign. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a global impact, leading countries to implement four phases of Movement Control Orders (MCOs). The objective of this study is to examine the difficulties encountered by homestay operators in maintaining the viability of their businesses in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as to propose strategies aimed at securing the long-term sustainability of Malaysia's homestay programs. This qualitative study investigates the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on homestay operators, focusing on their struggles with limited support and income, increased operational costs, and the toll on mental health. The study reveals key challenges based on data from in-depth interviews conducted with operators in states with high Covid-19 cases. The respondents provided insights into various strategies employed to ensure the long-term viability of Malaysia's homestay programs, including diversification, business restructuring, government support, and digital marketing. This research contributes to the government's efforts to promote homestay programs in the tourism industry, shedding light on the industry's resilience during challenging times.