Joniston…Sabah is seeing a growing trend among European tourists towards nature-focused experiences.
KOTA KINABALU: – Sabah currently has 37 registered homestay clusters across 17 districts with a total of 459 homestay participants, said Assistant Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.
The breakdown of clusters is as follows: Kota Kinabalu (3); Kota Belud (9); Papar (2); Kota Marudu (1); Kuala Penyu (1); Beaufort (1); Kinabatangan (4); Kudat (1); Lahad Datu (3); Penampang (1); Pitas (1); Ranau (2); Semporna (1); Sipitang – Long Pasia (1); Tambunan (2); Tuaran (2); and Tawau (1).
Emphasising the collaborative efforts to support local homestay operators, Joniston highlighted the close partnership between his Ministry and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (Motac), which serves as the national coordinator for homestay initiatives.
He emphasised Motac’s role in offering various training courses aimed at enhancing homestay participants’ skills in areas such as digital marketing, language proficiency, and environmental sustainability, among others.
“Simultaneously, Motac maintains engagement with homestay cluster coordinators to gather feedback and identify issues, including current concerns like scams and fraud, ” he said at the state assembly sitting here, on Thursday.
“Motac has developed a website for the Malaysian homestay experience programme, where a list of homestay operators can be accessed to guide users and tourists,” Joniston said, replying to a question by Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (GRS-Sindumin) on homestay activities in Sabah.
On additional questions, Yusof asked about Motac’s allocation to assist in developing infrastructure such as roads and water supplies, given the trend towards choosing homestays in rural areas.
Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (Umno-Lamag) asked about the ministry’s efforts to ensure that the homestay industry benefits the entire Sabah and the need to upgrade homestays to meet current standards.
Joniston said Sabah is seeing a growing trend among European tourists towards nature-focused experiences, with rural areas becoming increasingly popular as destinations of choice.
He said a collaborative effort has been initiated between his Ministry, the Ministry of Rural Development, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Industry aimed at addressing infrastructure needs related to tourism, rural development, and agriculture, crucially aligning efforts to enhance Sabah’s tourism potential.
“Upgrading our homestays is also necessary and hence regular engagements with District Tourism Action Councils, the Sabah Homestay Association, and Federation of Rural Tourism Association Sabah (FeRTAS) are carried out to identify necessary improvements,” he said.
