Tourists' perception of the homestays in Sabah.

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Tourists' perception of the homestays in Sabah.

• Clotilde Luquiau
• CASE
• Paris X Nanterre

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Introduction

• Tourism in Homestays financially benefits
  directly to the local people which is a
  characteristic of ecotourism
• Homestay association of several villagers who
  have an agreement from the ministry of Tourism in
  order to welcome tourists in their own house.
• Many tourists seem eager to stay in a homestay
  but most of them stay in lodges

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• Why are some tourists willing and others
  reluctant to stay in a homestay?
• Why some tourists who initially prefer the
  homestay actually end up in a lodge?
• How is it possible to make sure that the
  homestays attract all the tourists eager to share
  the villagers life?

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I.The Kinabatangan lower floodplain in Sabah,
Malaysia (JUPEM 1996)
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Tourism in the Kinabatangan wildlife spotting
during a rivercruise
Pygmy elephant, Pig tail macaque, ? tourists in
Sukau, August 2008
A lodge in Sukau Crocodile (5 m)
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Villages with a Homestay in the Kinabatangan
Batu Puteh, Bilit, Sukau and Abai
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Main characteristics of the 4 villages of the
lower Kinabatangan with a homestay
Lodges In the village Access Households involved Tour Operator working with the homestay
Batu Puteh 0 lodge 0 BB Highway 33 (2009) Intrepid Travel (Australia)
Bilit 5 lodges 1 BB Secondary road in bad condition (2009) 12 (2010) _?
Sukau 7 lodges 2 BB Secondary road in good shape 23 (2010) Red Ape Encounter (local)
Abai 1 lodge Boat 5 (2008) SI Tour (lodge in Abai and Sukau)
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Methodology

• Structured or semi-structured interviews
• Questionnaires self administered and online
• Participant observation
• Secondary data

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II. Tourists perception

• Tourists who stayed in the homestay
• They liked it most of the feed backs in the
  homestays are enthusiastic, globally, most of the
  participants were happy to stay in the homestay
  even if they had some points to criticise
• (Cf. Feed back forms in Batu Puteh, guest books
  in the other villages)

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Interviews questionnaires 118 informants

• 65 Are interested to stay in one of the
  villagers' house
• 26 Are not interested to stay in a homestay
• Only 16 have already experienced the homestay in
  Malaysia or in another country
• Other did not answer or answered  maybe 

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Pull factors

• To learn about the local culture, the tradition,
  to understand and share the everyday life of the
  people (first reason) homestay is an eye opener
  into the culture (2010)
• Tourists who have connections with people who
  stayed in the homestay
• Tourists who have appreciated their experience in
  homestays in other countries
• To eat local food
• To sustain local economy

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Push factors

• Need for Privacy
• Need for comfort ( I am too old  a 63 years old
  femal informant, 2008), good bed, fan
• Lack of Hygiene, afraid of bugs, dirty toilets
• 1 informant does not want to eat rice everyday
• Fear  its dangerous 
• Discretion, tourists dont want to embarrass
  local people,  i dont want to impose my family
  to other people  (Informants in a groupe of 4
  adults 7 children other in a family of 5)
• Afraid of restrictions
• More difficult to make the booking through a
  homestay than through a lodge or a T.O.
• Problems of communication with the hosts
• There are more people to share the boat in a
  lodge the price per pax is more attractive
• Afraid of being bored  I never went to
  homestay, because i am afraid of having nothing
  to do Malaysian informant who works in villages
  for his research
•  not suitable for honey moon 
• No curiosity For local people  I have friends
  who invite me in their villages, I dont need to
  go to a homestay 

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Disappointed  wanna stay  in the homestay

• Did not know about the homestay program in
  Malaysia
• Impossible to book using the information provided
  on Internet
• Knew about the homestay but not about the fact
  there was one in Sukau
• Confusion between homestay and BB
• Homestay was not in any package and the informant
  wanted a package (2)

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Mitigated feelings towards the homestay

• Some tourists are all together eager to discover
  the local culture and afraid of the standard of
  the accommodation in the homestays
• with clean bed sheets, then I can know their
  local culture more, actually, I would love to do
  it Sabahan female Informant, 30 years old, 2010

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Satisfaction coming from the experience may
overcome dissatisfaction due to discomfort

• The pull factors are more existential, intangible
  the push factors are more practical, tangible and
  controllable
• In her research about the Kinabatangan Jennifer
  Chan shows that true satisfiers are related
  primarily ,to intangible elements such as
  wildlife encounter while dissatisfiers are
  related to tangible elements. In her study,
  guests are mostly satisfied by their experience
  even though they complain about the lodge
  maintenance
• (CHAN BAUM 2007)

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Other possibilities avoid discomfort and
experience the homestay

• we did not stay overnight, we did stay in a
  hotel, it was not comfortable as stranger, in
  someones'house. We did not know who they are(),
  we only visited the homestay, we would like to
  try. Maybe we would prefer to know who the people
  are. It was in longhouse in Sarawak. the toilets
  is very important as well as the electricity
  Later in the interview I want to see the
  people, not only the scenery...
• Interview of a Sabahan family living in Kota
  Kinabalu

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III.How to attract tourists willing to stay in
the village?

• Communication
• Networking
• More Training
• Local improvement
• Equipment
• Diversification
• Smart volunteering

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Communication

• More communication on the experience of wildlife
  viewing and culture sharing
• Description of the basic accommodation as do
  intrepid guides (mandi, squatting toilets,
  rainwater or river water)
• Communication about how to respect a Muslim
  society
• Need for more promotion on Internet already
  improving constantly
• Bilit http//bilithomestay.wordpress.com/
• Sukau http//www.sukauhomestay.com/Welcome.html
• Batu Puteh http//www.misowalaihomestay.com/
• Abai http//www.sitoursborneo.com/public/accom3.as
  p
• Improve public transportation, signboards to make
  easier to find the homestays
• Give accurate contacts on websites several
  telephone numbers and email
• Booking through Internet
• Centralised booking in Kota Kinabalu
• More communication about the controls of hygiene
  from the ministry of tourism

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Networking

• Local tour operator for homestay
• Create more connection with NGOs and tours
  specialised in sustainable tourism, ethnic
  tourism, responsible tourism etc with a proactive
  approach

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More Training

• NB Training is already provided Hospitality,
  hygiene, house keeping, nature conservation,
  concept of homestay, stay in other homestays
• Create more opportunity for people of Batu Puteh
  and Red Ape Encounter to organise workshop in
  other homestays
• English training/ conversation guides in
  different languages for each homestay
• Exposure to tourism (done in Batu Puteh) to
  understand the tourists better

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Local Improvement equipment

• Clean water supply
• Hygiene (training, eco-friendly products, small
  loans for toilets and shower)
• Hygiene certificate from the ministry or the
  local authority such as A,B,C in the Malaysian
  restaurants

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Local Improvement diversification

• Promote packages in homestays
• Itinerary in several villages in Sabah
• Different places Sea/ Mountain/ Jungle
• Different ethnics
• Different activities sport/ cultural activity/
  activity related to nature
• Itinerary with villages in peninsular Malaysia ,
  Sarawak, Sabah
• International itinerary Thailand, Indonesia,
  Philippines
• Propose more activities
• Night in the homestay not mandatory
• Will attract more local people
• Will include villagers who can not upgrade their
  house to fit in the requirements of the ministry
  and young people who dont have their own house
• ?Example
• restaurant in Abai, tiger prawns, local cakes
• visit of the village with a guide explaining the
  everyday life of the people including the making
  of boats  kappal  the tourists are brought by
  a local tour operator who has a lodge in the
  village

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Smart volunteering

• Skilled people are volunteer
• Their personal or professional skills are not
  used
• Problem they need to feel on holiday
• Planning, software, communication, website
  management, languages, biodiversity monitoring
• Instead of cleaning, maintaining tracks,
  building
• Use the skills local people dont have to improve
  the training

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Conclusion

• Many tourists are willing to stay in the homestay
  
• Limitations
• Qualitative research
• Desirability
• The pull factor are existential and push factors
  material(J. Chan)
• Improving communication, training, networking,
  and homestay itself would bring more tourists.

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References

• Butler R. Hinch T., 2007, Tourism and
  Indigenous people, Issues and implications,
  Elsevier, 380p.
• CHAN J. Tom BAUM T.,  determination of
  satisfiers and dissatisfiers Using HERZBEGs
  motivator and Hygiene Factor Theory  an
  exploratory study , in Tourism, culture and
  communication, Vol 7 Number 2, 2007, pp. 117-132.
  
• FENNELL David A., Ecotourism, an introduction,
  Routledge, New-York London, 315p.
• HUSSIN Rosazman, 2006, Ecotourism development and
  local community participation  case studies of
  Batu Puteh and Sukau village in Lower
  Kinabatangan area of Sabah, Malaysia, Thesis,
  Department of Sociology, Anthropology and applied
  social sciences, University of Glasgow, UK, 454p.
• SCHULZE Heiko, SURATMAN Suriamni, 1999, Villagers
  in transition, Case Stuides from Sabah,
  Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, 93p.