Making sustainable training a successful factor for community based tourism (CBT) : a case study of Tanjung Piai Homestay

Abstract

This research is a case study of qualitative and quantitative study of Tanjung Piai in Johor , Malaysia. The aims of the study are to identify the roles of training as a successful tool in homestay management, making use of appropriate training methodology that would be suitable to the needs of homestay operators and indeed community based tourism providers. The study will also test the applicability of the right kind of training to improve and sustain homestay programme to continue to serve the needs of domestic and international tourists. Most often Community businesses face failure because of poor management and lack of business skills by the providers. Homestay programme is a form of community based tourism business which was aimed to empower the locals economically, turn around their financial situation, make them self-sufficient and be able to manage the resources that are available to them in the community. The study observed that homestay operators do not attend most trainings even though they show interest in it They attribute their inability to a number of factors including unfavorable time schedule, place of delivery, glossy and uninteresting methods the trainings are presented, too much emphasis on theoretical delivery, faulty methodology and lack of immediate benefits of training outcomes. The main findings of this research are that (i) the mode of instruction for homestay operators should be practically-oriented, adventurous, exploratory and activity based.(ii) training should be made interesting and given in a relaxed atmosphere, (iii) the homestay operators should be consulted to know the kind of training needs they want .(4)the training of homestay providers should involve elaborate demonstrations by the training providers. The homestay operators show a negative attitude to training courses/seminars. For example in research questionnaire No. 12 when asked why they do not attend trainings, 12% attributed to improper arrangement of training courses. 13% are ignorant of the benefits of training and 75% said it is due to lack of time. They should change their perception about training if they want to be successful and make profits. It is recommended that future training needs should be based on skills acquisition and hands on approach .Some homestay operators sometimes find it difficult to remember if they attended courses in the past. In research questionnaire 16 when asked if they have attended training on product development, 65% said they could not remember, 31% said they have not attended and 4% said they have been trained. The training providers should make use of slides to demonstrate and illustrate their points in a flexible manner. Homestay operators who do not perceive immediate value should be encouraged and informed about long term benefits of training and future training modules should be drawn to reflect the low educational background of the homestay operators.