Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Santubong Homestay recognised among top 5 in country


KUCHING: Kampung Santubong Homestay achieved another milestone last week with the Asean Homestay Award which recognises it as one of the top five homestays in the country.

Out of 181 homestays in Malaysia, the top five were selected for fulfilling the criteria set by the Asean Homestay Standard (AHS).

They are Kampung Santubong Homestay in Sarawak, Homestay Miso Walai (Sabah), Homestay Banghuris (Selangor), Homestay Kampung Lonek (Negeri Sembilan), and Homestay Kampung Taman Sedia (Pahang).

Kampung Santubong Homestay coordinator Jamilah Shukri said this recognition was another feather in the cap after being judged Best Homestay in the Sarawak Hornbill Tourism Awards 2009/2010 and taking third place in the Best Homestay category of the national-level One District One Industry (SDSI) showcase in 2012.

“I feel happy to receive this award. It means a lot to us, considering that after eight years of struggle, we finally managed to be top five among 33 homestays in Sarawak,” she said on the award received at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila hotel in the Philippines on Jan 22.

The inaugural award held in conjunction with the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2016 saw participation from homestays in Asean countries including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos People’s Democratic Republic, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

“The proposed benefits and privileges of being certified an Asean Homestay are mostly related to better access to marketing and promotional programmes carried out by related government agencies.

“Essentially, certified homestays will benefit from the branding of AHS which is an international recognition,” she said.

Among the benefits are being issued with an AHS certificate, logo and plaque to be displayed on the homestay premises, being promoted on the Asean organisation’s official website and at Asean and international tourism events and festivals.

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