SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSIONS OF TOURIST SERVICE EXPERIENCE IN HOMESTAYS

Abstract

Homestay tourism can be a lucrative service sector and the Culture, adventure and nature (CAN)
have been recognized as the critical components of eco-tourism products for tourism-friendly nations like
Malaysia. Many tourists have enjoyed the social and environmental aspects of the various tourist destinations
and there are also tourists who are not very happy with certain aspects of their experiences. This research
investigated the tourists’ experiences with the homestay programmes using qualitative and quantitative
techniques, namely the focus groups and questionnaire survey to discover their experiences and thereafter
developed a multi-item measurement. Responses of 330 sampled respondents were analyzed. A total of nine
dimensions were found and the measurement fit indices of these socio-environmental measurement was
satisfactory. The socio-environmental issues included culture, guiding, accommodation, services, food and
beverages, journey, natural environment, access and cleanliness. The homestay service environment indeed must
be holistic and sustainable to create the memorable and delightful tourist experience which can generate more
income and other benefits for the stakeholders. Implications and future research were also discussed for
continuous improvement of the environment-driven performance measurement and management process.