Closer contact with Malaysian culture as well as people is the goal of a unique program offering tourists to stay with local families. Besides bed and meals the families offer extra activities like hiking in the jungle or collecting rubber.
The Ministry of Tourism of Malaysia has launched a special program called Homestay e-Marketing Promotion, which promotes accommodation for travelers right in the homes of local residents, reported TMI Consultancy.
The Homestay Program is designed with the aim to help the visitors better understand the country and the way the common Malaysians live. The tourists opting for staying with the families get opportunity to try a variety of home-made dishes as well as to experience the rural life, surrounded by beautiful nature, away from the bustling cities.
Besides the accommodation and meals the families that open their homes to the guests shall provide also other services. The travelers can thus look forward to hiking in the jungle, collecting rubber, learning singing and dancing, flying kites, picking fruits and coconuts, fishing and visiting local workshops producing handicraft articles.
The Homestay system was launched in Malaysia already in 1995. Today 141 families from all around the country participate in the program and are ready to host tourists in their homes. The promotion campaign announced recently by the ministry is expected to further boost not only the number of participating families but also the amount of travelers who opt for this unconventional type of accommodation.
According to the representatives of the Homestay e-Marketing Promotion, both local and foreign tourists may choose from a range of different types of accommodation. Travelers interested in staying in the locals’ homes are provided with information not only about the given region and its tourism highlights but also about the family.