A view of the Niah Cave.
HOMESTAYS in Sarawak are becoming very popular as alternative lodgings for holiday makers.
And it’s most opportune that local homestay operators have been given specialised training to meet this popularity surge.
In recent years the world over, travellers have changed in their perception about accommodation.
For years, the UK and Europe have been promoting their famous B & B (Bed and Breakfast) to seasoned travellers while other countries are coming up with travel lodges, boutique hotels and youth hostels.
Taiwan, as a popular holiday destination, has thousands of homestays to offer travellers wishing to embark on journeys that ‘improve their souls’.
On the homefront, Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) executive secretary Terence Temenggong Jayang said during a homestay operators training programme that they were happy to provide training for homestay operators throughout Sarawak.
“We are phasing out our training from Miri, Sibu and to Kuching for 2015-7.
We hope it will help upgrade Dayak operators of homestays.
So far, we have been to reach out to over 120 operators,” he said.
DCCI’s role is to provide homestay management training.
It’s the delivery partner for the Entrpreneurial Development Programme with funds sponsored by TETAJU.
The master trainer is Florince Christy, also a DCCI member.
HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS
Terrence, upbeat about the training, talked to thesundaypost about his hopes and aspirations for this trendy industry.
“The main training offered by DCCI, with master trainer Florince Christie, has been ongoing this year.
We have obtained funds for the programme, which is part and parcel of our Chamber’s mission and vision to help improve the commercial value of longhouses as homestay venues in the local as well as the world markets.
“DCCI secretariat is presently collating data for all Dayak homestay operators to be included in the DCCI Dayak Homestays website being developed.
This is one way DCCI is helping to promote the longhouse homestays to the world,” he explained.
Approached during a recent training session at Mega Hotel, Miri, Rudang Balang, from Agents for World Challenge, said she and her husband operated a bridging company bringing foreign students under World Challenge to remote villages in the Baram.
Their homestay and tourism operation help bridge groups from overseas with local villages.
World Challenge aims to provide opportunities for youths to make a difference in Sarawak.
She added: “My husband and I arrange projects — for example in Bario, and other parts of Sarawak.
And the foreign students learn to mix cement, make concrete footpaths for the schools and villages.
“This is just one of the practical things they can do — plus other things like digging fi sh ponds, building chicken coops and the like.
“We arrange all the ground tours — from welcoming the youths from a foreign country to bringing them through the less known paths to the small villages of Sarawak.
These paths are not handled by the bigger tourism players.
We are filling a special gap for an awesome life experience.
” Concluding the interview, Rudang happily noted: “I especially like to thank DCCI for organising this training session for us.
We can improve our skills in managing our enterprises as time goes by.
POPULAR DESTINATION
Another popular homestay destination is Kampung Kuala Medalam, Limbang, which offers a special longhouse experience to both domestic and overseas tourists.
According to the operator, known as Siga, they have guides to help tourists.
“When there are too many visitors, they even enjoy sleeping in the ruai or community room outside the family rooms or bilik.
” “It was the Iban custom in the past for young men from the longhouse to sleep in the ruai and it became a sort of bonding for them.
“Many foreign tourists enjoy this kind of sleeping accommodation — in a huge community-like hall — and to wake up in the morning to birds chirping in the trees and cockerels crowing all around.
” Many tourists can easily drive from Brunei as well.
Limbang, being quite near Sabah, Sabahans will also form a good market for this special longhouse homestay.
TOP THREE HOMESTAY
One of the top three homestays in Sarawak is Rumah Benjamin Angki, Rantau Kemiding, built in 1936 and located 4km from Kanowit town.
An award-winning homestay destination, it’s widely featured in magazines and newspapers.
Tuai Rumah Benjamin Angki is the fi rst longhouse headman with a degree from the US and a Shell retiree.
Accessible by good roads and river transport, this longhouse homestay has more than 60 Iban families.
It’s the second homestay programme approved by the Tourism Ministry.
With 14 trained operators, it has become a very good destination and a class of its own.
Benjamin Angki, a forward-looking headman and a pleasant personality, believes a homestay business should provide comfortable and clean accommodation, longhouse style breakfast and email access for international visitors and their families.
SCENIC AND MODERN
Rantau Kemiding is scenic, being located by the bank of the Kanowit River.
It has all the public facilities, including the Internet.
Most of the longhouse residents also speak very good English besides Bahasa Malaysia and Iban.
The homestay provides indoor activities and tourists are invited to join ‘family’ programmes such as going to the farm, and repairing fi shing nets, among others.
Mrs Angki is an expert rice-wine maker and visitors can learn the art of making the brew from her besides enjoying some of the best tuak in Sarawak.
The longhouse also provides visitors the opportunities to pick up traditional culinary skills like cooking food in bamboo (manok pansuh), kuih jala or penyaram.
Tourists can also take part in the traditional Iban dance — Ngajat — in the ruai.
Terrence who enjoys fi shing, said tourists could also go fi shing and even jungle-trekking at Rantau Kemiding.
He added that the opportunities for adventure were endless.
FIRST TO BE SELECTED
Rumah Patrick Libau is the fi rst to be selected by the government for the homestay programme as it’s strategically located near the Niah National Park, one of the top tourist attractions in the state.
The longhouse also promotes tourism and other packages, including a visit to the Niah National Park.
Over the past few years, the longhouse has seen thousands of visitors and been selected for some world recognised programmes like Teach For All.
The homestay also provides transport to and from Miri Airport.
The DCCI training programme will defi nitely enhance its operation.
Rumah Patrick Libau is situated on the bank of the River Tangap.
Tourists can go fi shing, learn to cast nets and take boat rides.
A visit to an oil palm smallholding or even a small hunting trip can be arranged.
Hunting wild boars may be an experience of a life time.
FEEDBACK FROM TRAVELLERS
At the Niah Caves, I met some local tourists who had been staying at Batu Niah and Bekenu.
H Wong, from Kuching, commented: “We managed to pop in at Rumah Patrick Libau and another longhouse.
It has been enjoyable exploring the caves.
My friends and I only wished the roads were a little better.
It was also quite hard to fi nd transport to visit the areas around Batu Niah.
There’s only a bus from Miri.
“We would have liked a richer experience and seen more of northern Sarawak.
But due to some transport hiccups and poor roads, we didn’t get to see more places like Marudi and the quaint villages of the Baram.
“From Batu Niah, a good friend would drive us to Bintulu.
Ours was a DIY kind of road-travelling.
So far, we have met many friendly people.
“If properly arranged, local tours to homestays, accessible by good roads, can be very marketable not only to locals but also Asean tourists.
“Good roads and other infrastructures will save tourists time and enable them to visit more places.
That will be good value for money.
Both the government and the private sectors can do more for local tourism.”
H Wong and his university friends, including some photographers, were trying “hop on and off the backpackers experience,” hoping to stay in some good homestays along the way — from Miri to Kuching — within 10 days.
They had fl own from Kuching to Miri.
Consumers will spur a lot of changes in the tourism industry and DCCI is taking steps to help local homestay operators clinch a niche market.