Long Holidays, Festive Seasons A Boon For Sabah Homestay Operators

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 27 (Bernama) -- Homestays are fast becoming many people's top pick, especially among families, who take the opportunity to holiday in Sabah during long holidays and festive seasons.

As such, it is not surprising when homestay operators experience high demand and the homestays are fully booked, thus providing spillover benefits to the sector's operators, in addition to generating the economy of restaurants and stalls owned by locals.

In LAHAD DATU, Pulau Buta Eco Tourism homestay operator Jessica Reyes said bookings during year ends and school holiday seasons are very encouraging, with some bookings made a month in advance.

"This month alone, we receive visitors almost daily and some can't get a room but they choose to go to glamping sites or camping areas that come with modern facilities and are beautifully decorated.

"We have prepared much earlier and increased our stock of bedsheets and towels because we know there will be a drastic increase in the number of tourists. I am grateful for the booming year-end business for Pulau Buta Eco Tourism homestay,” she told Bernama.

In TAWAU, Tawau Residence Homestay operator Siti Ros Palatui said there is a high demand for rooms at her homestay during every school holiday season.

"This is the trend I see of late for reservations at my homestays in Taman Muhibbah Jaya and Taman Semarak Indah. Our customers are from Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu, Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia and Brunei,” she said.

According to her, most of her customers come to Tawau to holiday, attend functions and visit families in the village and this provides a positive impact on other local economic sectors, including restaurants.

In SANDAKAN, Mariyana Lahiya runs the Idaman Homestay, which is an apartment unit that can accommodate a family or group of 10 at any one time. 

"The demand during school holidays is very high, more so during December when most people in Sabah get to enjoy four days of weekend off and Christmas public holiday.

Mariyana admitted that her homestay had only limited space and could not accommodate large groups but she would never compromise on providing comfort for her customers.

She said was very cautious when accepting customer bookings to ensure they did not create any problems or cause any disturbance to other apartment dwellers.

In RANAU, Kundasang's Mesilou Atamis Homestay Association chairman, Azizul Julirin said the district has about 60 active homestay operators offering over 260 rooms to visitors.

"The homestay operators here have received early bookings and reservations are full for the Christmas holiday right up till the New Year. Most people who come here are Sabahans,” he said. 

-- BERNAMA