Beijing wants to recruit more than 1,000 households to provide homestay rooms for foreign visitors during August’s Olympic Games, local media reported recently.
Until the reform and opening up of China in the 1980s, just talking to a foreigner could be a cause of trouble for Chinese and the idea of inviting “overseas guests” to stay in their homes would have been unthinkable.
The “Olympic families” must have a spare bedroom, basic toilet and shower facilities and at least one English-speaking family member, the Beijing Daily reported.
“We hope the foreign tourists and the Beijing family will become not only renters and owners but good friends,” said Xiong Yumei, deputy director of Beijing’s Tourist Bureau.
The 1,000 rooms with “Olympic families” will supplement the city’s 220,000 beds in 806 star-rated hotels as supply may still fall short of demand, especially close to the sports venues, said Xiong.
Ventilation, lighting, sanitary conditions, fire safety, toilet and shower facilities, location, transportation and family pets will all be under scrutiny when the bureau inspects applicant properties in March.
Other requirements include families dressing appropriately, having good manners and basic Olympic knowledge as well as a willingness to help the guests discover Beijing and its traditions.
Beijing is expecting 500,000 foreign visitors and a million domestic tourists during the Games.
The homestay rooms will cost $50-80 a night, said Xiong, but the price might be adjusted according to market conditions.
Coconut Creek is an exotic haven of tranquility in the beautiful creek and lake of Kumarakom. Spread across 4 acres, this homestay has every modern convenience set in a typical Keralite ambiance. The breathtaking landscape with lush and verdant coconut palms and farm plants provides an idyllic milieu for physical and spiritual rejuvenation, far from the bustle and din of metro cities. Kumarakom as a destination is ideal for vacation, honeymoon trips, bird watching, backwater tours, medical tourism and culinary indulgences like karimeen, a local fish delicacy.
Here you have three independent AC bedrooms, exotic bathroom, dining room, living room complete with veranda and a private sit-out with an enchanting view of the creek creating a wondrous magical mood.
Some of the facilities and services here include, welcome drink, home stay available on AP/EP plans, food on request, round-the-clock hot water, cable TV, satellite radio, washing machine, doctor-on-call, Maniyara - a traditional room decorated with flowers, lawn and children’s play area, visit to the farm, herbal beauty clinic (only for ladies), backwater cruise on country boats/motorboats/speedboats, houseboats, ayurvedic treatment on request, village safari, fishing in the lake, visit to ancient churches, temples and other places of interest, visit to bird sanctuary, home to rare migratory birds, visit to the museum, shopping for handicraft, visit to Kottayam for shopping, watching sunset- a highlight of the creek and car parking facility.
This is the story of a Homestay Host from Canada who made it big with this novel idea. Think and act!
Name: Cheryl Verstrate.
Business: Homestay Central, Coquitlam.
Contact: www.homestaycentral.com; 604-931-2497.
Number of employees: One full-time, three part-time and two volunteers.
Time in business: Two years.
What do you do? I operate a website that allows homestay hosts to advertise their homes to international students and for students to find their own rooms for rent. I have listings from across Canada and from around the world. I have also published a book called Homestay 101 for Hosts to educate people about how to set up and run a homestay.
How did you get into this business? I was a homestay host and was also working as a homestay co-ordinator for a language school and was constantly being asked to help people with homestay guests or to help them set up a homestay.
When we bought our first house and I was having my first baby, I was deciding whether to go back to work or stay home. We had a spare bedroom so I set up a homestay. That was 16 years ago, and we’ve been homestay hosts ever since. It’s a great business, and it allowed me to stay home with my two daughters.
There was so little information available for homestay hosts, I decided to write a book — I’d never written anything before — and that led to the website.
What do you like best about your business? Having my own business is great, and I liked the feeling of accomplishment from writing a book. I love to educate, and that is what I do every day now.
Future plans? I would like to work with the schools and become a national expert on homestay. I just want to educate hosts. These kids are coming here, they’ve never been away from home before and people should know what to do so it’s not horrifying for these students.
Want to be in Minding Your Own Business? Just follow this format and send your information to The Province at onthemove@png.canwest.com. Don’t forget to include your phone number. (Source: The Province)
The Homestay Association of Malaysia (HAM) and the Principle Association of the Republic of Korea (PARK) signed 19 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in Kuantan recenly aimed at enhancing cooperation in tourism and education sectors between Malaysia and South Korea.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Tourism Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Ong Hong Peng and state executive councilor for tourism Datuk Maznah Mazlan.
In his speech, Ong said the MoUs would serve as the launching pad for greater collaborations in tourism and education for South Korean students through the English language training offered by the Malaysia homestay programme.
“Packaging of the homestay programme with English language training is a proposition that offers value for money, new experiences, learning other cultures and way of life and more importantly, learning English in a fun and friendly environment,” he said.
Ong said South Korean students participating in the homestays would not only get to taste the local food and the family spirit of the Malaysian society, but also take part in the many festivities, celebrations and cultural events.
“These factors give added value to a satisfying, relaxing and most memorable stay at the 135 villages participating in the homestay programme throughout Malaysia,” he added.
Among the MoUs signed are between PARK president Park No Won and HAM president Sahariman Hamdan; and HAM secretary Yaacob Uda with Korea-Malaysia Exchange Student consultant Bang Hueng Gyu; Kedah Homestay Association chairman Abdul Razak Abdul Hamid with Gyeonggi Girls’ Commercial High School principal Lee Jong Sung; Perlis Homestay Association chairman Halim Jalid with Kyung-gi Commercial High School principal Lee Nam Ho and; Johor Homestay Association chairman Abdul Aziz Abdul Samat with Yangyang Girls’ High School principal Lee Man Young.
