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is not the same as a lodging facility in the traditional sense. It places a greater emphasis on lifestyle
and experience, as well as cultural and economic activities than on information.

The Ministry of Tourism Malaysia (MOTAC) has recognized four distinct types of activities that take
place during a tourist's stay. Each homestay program offers a unique set of activities that vary
according to the culture, cuisine, economic activity, and geographic location. Under the Malaysian
homestay program, there are four kinds of activities that participants should participate in during their
stay: culture and lifestyle activities, economic activities, leisure, and environmental preservation.
Examples of homestay programs according to the four kinds of activities include every State in
Malaysia, from the Nasi-Dagang in Kelantan to Sumazau's dance in Sabah to the long homes in
Sarawak, has its distinct culture. The focus of the homestay program is for visitors to experience and
learn the Malaysian style of living in rural areas from an authentic and enriched culture.

These activities may seem interesting to foreigners since they are dissimilar to their cultural origins.
However, little study has been conducted on how local visitors viewed these activities as distinctive
and exceptional throughout their stay. The purpose of this study is to determine, in preparation for
future research, the most impactful activity in the homestay program that has an effect on their stay
throughout the program. Thus, this paper aims to propose a tourist experience framework for the
activities in Malaysia homestay program guidelines issued by the government, particularly from the
viewpoint of the local tourist.

Literature review
Malaysian Homestay program
Malaysian Homestay Program started in 1988 in Desa Murni, a rural community comprised of five
rural villages: Desa Murni Sanggang, Desa Murni Sonsang, Desa Murni Kerdau, Desa Murni Ketam,
and Desa Murni Perangap (Kayat, 2009). The settlements are located 15 minutes from Temerloh and
120 kilometres (90 minutes) from Kuala Lumpur. This initiative exposes international tourists to
Malaysia's traditional way of life while also allowing the local Desa Murni community to participate
in and profit from this tourism programme. Five Desa Murni households first hosted ten guests, a
figure that has risen to more than 100 host families hosting more than 3,000 people each year in less
than a decade. While the majority of guests are Japanese at the moment, the Desa Murni homestay
programme is expanding to include Europeans, Australians, and Americans. (Hatton, 2002).

Homestay program has become increasingly in high demand among locals and foreign tourists. Under
the homestay program, tourists learn about the close-knit family relationship which offers a chance to
experience the daily lifestyle of bustling capital cities and puts tourists closer to the culture and
friendly people of Malaysian Homestay. The homestay program was introduced by the Ministry of
Tourism Malaysia in 1988 as an alternative accommodation for tourists. The program was launched
officially in 1995 in Temerloh, Pahang, for example, a unique concept of accommodation that
involves tourists staying with selected families. (MOCAT, 2019)

In comparison to other nations' Homestay programs, the Malaysian Homestay Program's most
distinguishing feature is the opportunity to spend time with host families, or more specifically, with
"adopted" families. A significant part of this aspect includes the visitors dining and cooking with their
adoptive family as well as participating in a variety of activities. This allows two groups with very
diverse cultural backgrounds to engage and learn from each other. Rather than just staying in a
traditional bed & breakfast business, tourists may join in the host's everyday activities through the
Homestay Program in Malaysia. This is an important strength of this particular tourism product; no
other tourism product in Malaysia offers a similar view of the culture of Malaysian rural societies as is
made possible by the Homestay Program (Kayat, 2009). According to Peterson (2004), the following
is the unique characteristic of the Malaysian homestay program as compared to other countries across

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