Register with ministry, homestay operators urged

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THE BERSANDING: Nasir (right) greeting a couple during a mock Malay wedding of two UKM students from Hong Kong and England at Santubong Homestay.

KUCHING: The Ministry of Tourism and Heritage urged all homestay operators to register with it.

Principal assistant secretary for its Product Management and Community Participation section, Nasir Lariwoo said the ministry wanted to see more operators join the ‘1 District 1 Industry’ programme to develop more tourism products.

“Up to June this year, there are merely 27 homestays registered under the ministry while we actually have more than 300 homestays in the whole of Sarawak,” he said when officiating at the UKM-Global Student Mobility Partnerships 2011 dinner at Sri Santubong Hall at Kampung Santubong here last night.

He said the hard work of Santubong Homestay coordinator Jamilah Shukri should be emulated by all homestay entrepreneurs.

He expressed his pride on Jamilah winning the Successful Bumiputera Entrepreneur for Women Category 2010 award from the state government recently.

Meanwhile, Jamilah said her homestay business had been running smoothly for the past three years.

“For the last three years, our management has organised countless wedding ceremonies and even mock ones for visitors from outside Sarawak.

“I want the visitors to remember Santubong Homestay as a memorable home away from home,” she told 26 guests from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

The UKM students are second year students from Mexico, Australia, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Peninsular Malaysia.

Also present were Kampung Santubong penghulu Suhaili Kipli, UKM lecturers Prof Dr Junaerah Sulehan, Prof Dr Ong Puay Liu and Prof Kamaruddin.