The experiential aspect of rural home-stay among Chinese and Malay students using diary method

• Main Authors: Musa, G., Kayat, K., Thirumoorthy, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palgrave Macmillan 2010
• Subjects: GV Recreation Leisure
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/10493/1/00007082_54217.pdf; http://eprints.um.edu.my/10493/

Tourism involving home-stays is one of the Malaysian government's key efforts to diversify its cultural tourism product. Tourists to the programme are adopted by their foster families experience a more traditional life in Malay villages. Using a diary method, this study examines the experiential aspects of home-stay holidays among domestic students in Kampung Lonek. A total of 19 diaries were content-analyzed using NVivo, which is a qualitative data analysis (QDA) computer software package produced by QSR International. Based on the findings, the home-stay experiential model is developed which explains the different phases of travel experience and their components. The on-site experience reveals three distinct dimensions: ‘environmental experience’, ‘activity, culture and knowledge experience’ and ‘human interaction experience’. The study discusses the differences between Chinese and Malay students in their home-stay experience. The article highlights its methodological, theoretical and managerial contributions.