Lankan homes open out to tourists
Sri Lanka is encouraging more and more local families to open their homes to tourists and earn money in the process while increasing the room stock from this category to 10,000 by 2016.
The country is targetting 2.5 million visitors by 2016 and currently has 23,000 rooms compared to the 45,000 rooms needed to meet the five-fold increase from less than 500,000 in 2009. Currently there are about 300 homes of below five rooms each listed in the Sri Lanka Tourism website as ‘homestays’ providing a total of less than 1,000 rooms.
Banking on ‘homestays’ and community tourism to fill a possible shortage of rooms, the Government recently announced matching financial grants upto Rs 1 million to interested persons joining the scheme to upgrade and enhance their homes to meet set guidelines and standards.
“A key element in the programme is developing themed villages where foreigners can live and experience the culture, the traditional habits and lifestyles,” said a Sri Lankan Tourism official involved in the ‘homestays’ project.
“The main objective of community tourism is to ensure the village also benefits from this sector,” the official said. Targeted travellers, are students, backpackers, elderly people whose children have moved away and want to be looked after by a family, and families seeking a different kind of experience.
The move has been welcomed by the trade.
“This is an excellent idea. In fact I started the first homestay website 10 years ago and got many inquiries from overseas but because it was the height of the war, it didn’t take off,” noted Ahintha Amerasinghe, Managing Director at Worldlink Travels. Mr. Amerasinghe, who also has a 12-room upmarket hotel in Kandy, said he got the idea of ‘homestays’ after his family spend a “wonderful two nights” at a New Zealand farm. “We stayed in hotels too but this was the best experience in New Zealand … going in a tractor, etc,” the official said.
Visitors to Sri Lanka are now looking for new experiences, not merely staying in star-class hotels and enjoying the beach.
The SLTDA official said they are assembling a team of hospitality experts and architects to offer free advice in upgrading properties and homes to meet the required standards. “We have three categories – deluxe, superior and standard with the latter (where the village comes in) requiring a room of 120 sq feet with a comfortable bed and bathroom,” the official said.
Architects will help upgrade village homes ensuring they blend with the environment while language skills, food hygiene and security matters would be offered at no cost by the authorities.
Anura Lokuhetty, Deputy Chairman/Chief Executive of Serene Pavilions boutique hotel, says homestays and community tourism is a positive way to bridge the gap in rooms.
Mr. Lokuhetty, a veteran industry specialist, said homestays provide visitors an opportunity to get a feel of culture, the people and live with local families and eat local food and vegetables.
Nilmin Nanayakkara, Managing Director of Nkar Tours & Travels, said community tourism helps the economic benefits to trickle down to the village.
“However we need good quality homes,” he said adding that this market will attract a lot of university students, couples and families seeking a different experience. It would also attract backpackers seeking cheap accommodation.
Homestay prices are around US$20 per night inclusive of breakfast compared to $40 upwards for other type of accommodation offered in Sri Lanka.
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