"We will identify all the good homestays where they have programmes which will provide the people with experiences. We will also match homestays with specific countries. For example, if we want to promote a certain homestay to France, we will give the villagers basic training in the French language," she said.
The aggressive move was also to change the mindset of the people that homestays were not about low-budget tourism or cheaper accommodation but about experience and lifestyle, she told reporters after a meeting with the Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry and Sabah Tourism Board, here.
Ng said she was happy to hear that Sabah had successful homestays, and identified three of them as Miso Walai, Walai Tokou and Misompuru.
She said the state ministry would identify homestays it wanted to promote aggressively, and the first country where Sabah homestays would be promoted was Singapore, due to the shared similarity of the Malay and English languages.
Some operators misunderstood the point of homestays and rented premises or a house to operate one, she said, adding that the ministry would not allow this.
"The homes must be owner-occupied. Owners must interact with the people who stay there. There must also be participation of the whole village, with the people playing a role in drawing up the programmes and activities for the tourists," she said.
Ng said homestays should be able to provide the experience of traditional economic activities like rubber tapping, traditional games, songs, dances and local recipes to give the tourists a sense of belonging to the village so as to ensure repeat tourists.
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