Ifugao folks train on homestay program

By Daniel Codamon

KIANGAN, Ifugao -- Thirty homestay owners of this town recently completed 6-day Homestay training conducted by Department of Tourism Central Office here at Kiangan Youth Hostel.

Municipal Tourism Officer Lally Dulnuan said the training was aimed to equip homestay owners with knowledge and skills to be  at par with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) standard.

The selling point of the homestay program was not the physical entity of the village but more towards total village experience where the community and communal activities are strong influential factors.

The standards focused on nine criteria consisting of host accommodation, activities, management, location, hygiene and cleanliness, safety and security, marketing and sustainability principles.

Gina Garcia, an expert hotelier and trainer from Manila, discussed subjects on socio-cultural interaction-host and guest encounter.

Other topics she talked on were values formation and effective customer service, guest reception and records keeping, codes of ethics of inn keeping and basic front desk procedures.

Other topics day were on house keeping procedures, cleaning procedures, bed making and actual bed making and actual simulation of inn keeping skills.

Lessons on basic food and beverage services, table setting,  and health, hygiene and sanitation were also given.

Leni Pajarillo of the DOT central office talked on Philippine tourism industry, profile of tourism markets, Philippine homestay program and its role in community development while GloPunzalan also of the DOT discussed new standards and criteria for homes and community. tourist safety and security measures.

All over the ASEAN region, the homestay program is a form of alternative tourism in which tourists are given opportunity to experience the way of life in a typical village with local community and this form of tourism is becoming increasingly popular with foreign tourists.

As a form of community-based tourism, the homestay concept is well accepted as a rural development tool in many ASEAN countries that can enhance local quality of life through generation of income, support local culture, arts and crafts business, encourage restoration of local and historic sites and foster nature conservation efforts through community education.