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The rise of the sharing economy: will it affect Ministry of Tourism and Culture homestay sustainability in Selangor, Malaysia
Sarina Mohamad Nor1, Khairil Wahidin Awang2.
Could the sharing economy become a victim of its own success? “Sharing economy”
services like Airbnb are convenient for the people who use them, but they can also have
deleterious effects on the communities they operate in and spurring us to ask question about
can we really condone uncertified homestay practices without harming practitioners who are
certified homestay by Ministry of Tourism and Culture? Many studies done on homestay
programme in Malaysia focused on measuring satisfaction level of tourists with regards to the
services provided by homestay operators and sustainable rural tourism development from the
perspective of local community. Study is rarely done on the supply side perspective which can
guide tourism authorities and relevant government agencies in coming-up with better policies.
Uncertified homestay practices are a long-standing issue because many complaints had been
lodged against illegal service apartment providers. These uncertified homestay practitioners
used the brand of ‘homestay’, projecting a false image of a true homestay experience to
tourists. Increase in demand for homestay accommodation and greater government investment
for tourism development, especially in rural tourism development, justify the needs to explore
the issues of the mushrooming of uncertified homestays and the impacts caused by them. The
question on how serious uncertified homestays will affect sustainability of certified homestays
is a big concern. This study is exploratory in nature, using snowballing technique of collecting
data. A qualitative approach was applied whereby in-depth interviews on respondents included
officers from governing authorities, like MOTAC and local government, uncertified and
certified homestay practitioners in Selangor, Malaysia. Hence, this study offers rich data which
can improve existing guidelines on homestay business for authorities particularly MOTAC and
local authorities who give out licenses for homestay businesses.
Affiliation:
- UNITAR International University, Malaysia
- Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia
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