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Thailand homestay overviews
Provided by Tourism Authority of Thailand
THAI HOME STAYS
Thai home stays are a special tourism product that enable visitors and tourists to experience, up close and personal, the local way of life in rural communities in various parts of Thailand. Families warmly welcome guests into their homes and are delighted to be able to share and exchange knowledge and offer insight into Thai culture, ways and traditions.
The programme is new to Thailand but it has been enthusiastically received by both travellers and villagers. Participation in a home stay programme is generally a village initiative. Up to a dozen homes within each rural community offer to host both foreign and Thai guests.
Visitors are free to decide how they wish to spend their time. They are able to relax or go into the fields to plant or harvest, herd the cows to pasture, ride a long-tail boat, or toss a net for fish. There are usually local attractions—perhaps a waterfall, a trade pursued only in that village, or an unusual temple. Guided tours to these sites are organized as part of home stay programmes.
Home stays provide villagers with an opportunity to earn income that normally eludes them in the more sophisticated travel industry. It also enables them to meet outsiders they often see only from a distance and to experience a wider world through sharing their lives with others.
For the visitor, a home stay is often the highlight of a trip. There are few experiences to rival a tranquil night’s sleep since even in villages with televisions, the sets are turned off at 9 p.m. and peace descends. There is nothing quite like being nudged from sleep at dawn by the sounds of a village’s myriad inhabitants greeting the day.
THAI HOME STAY CERTIFICATION STANDARDS
FOR COMMUNITY PROJECTS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS
To ensure that home stay participants enjoy a positive experience during their stay in Thailand, the Office of Tourism Development of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has developed certification standards covering eight aspects of the Thai home stay tourism experience: accommodation, food and nutrition, safety, management, tourism services, environment, added value and marketing. The index provides a tangible means of rating the quality of Thai home stays and the services provided.
CERTIFIED HOME STAY PROJECTS
Approximately 50 home stay projects were certified between January to August 2005. Of these, the following communities have considerably more experience in receiving foreign guests.
Please click to select
Northern Thailand
Northeastern Thailand
Central Thailand
Southern Thailand
Source: www.tatnews.org
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