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A Home Away from Home: Launching Home Stay Tourism in Namibia

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A Home Away from Home: Launching Home Stay Tourism in Namibia A HOME AWAY FROM HOME: LAUNCHING HOME STAY TOURISM IN NAMIBIA SUBMITTED BY: ALEXANDER BELIVEAU, BIANCA CASTAGNA, JENNIFER CICCHETTI, &MIYE JACQUES SPONSORED BY: A HOME AWAY FROM HOME: LAUNCHING HOME STAY TOURISM IN NAMIBIA An Interactive Qualifying Project Report Submitted to the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Science Sponsoring Agency: Namibia Tourism Board Submitted to: Project Liaisons: Manfred !Gaeb, Strategic Executive, Industry Services Juliet Isaacs, Tourism Inspector Project Advisor: Svetlana Nikitina, WPI Professor Project Advisor: Thomas Robertson, WPI Professor Submitted by: _________________________ Alexander Beliveau _________________________ Bianca Castagna _________________________ Jennifer Cicchetti _________________________ Miye Jacques 3 May 2012 ii ABSTRACT Namibia is a newly independent nation with a 51% unemployment rate, seeking to become fully developed by the year 2030. Our goal for this project was to work with the Namibia Tourism Board to help launch a home stay program to create jobs and spread the benefits of tourism in Namibia. After observing homes and holding community meetings in each of the 13 regions in Namibia, we were able to draft regulations and provide recommendations for the implementation of the program. iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Namibia is a developing nation with an unemployment rate of over 51%. The government has created “Vision 2030” in hopes of becoming a developed nation by the year 2030 through creating jobs, increasing the standards of living, and decreasing poverty. To help achieve this goal the government has tasked the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) with the creation of jobs in the tourism industry. The goal of our project was to work with the NTB to help launch a home stay program to create jobs and spread the benefits of tourism in Namibia. To complete this task, we provided the NTB with: • A draft of regulations for the home stay program • Two home stay guides, one for the guest and one for the host, to help prepare potential participants for what to expect from the program • Recommendations for the implementation of the program METHODOLOGY The NTB decided that the introduction of a home stay program will consist of three phases: 1) Introduction and Research, 2) Strategic Planning and Ministry Approval, and 3) Implementation. Our project completed the first phase of the home stay program, Introduction and Research. To achieve our goal, we created three objectives, listed below. 1. Determine the interests and capacity of stakeholders, including NTB officials, tour operators, local registration authorities, and accommodation establishment owners, likely to be involved in the home stay program. 2. Establish regulations for a home stay program by: a. Observing the building material and facilities of homes in urban and rural communities as well as “cultural” villages. b. Adapting the current regulations for bed-and-breakfast establishments in Namibia to fit a home stay program. 3. Investigate how to effectively prepare host families and guests for their experience in the home stay program. We identified stakeholders and contributors to the program, which consisted primarily of the NTB officials, tour operators, local registration authorities, and accommodation establishment owners and determined to what extent they would be involved in the program. To gather information, we held community meetings in 13 different locations across the country. In these meetings, we gave a short presentation on the concept of a home stay, followed by a round table discussion to gain feedback on the program. In addition to these community meetings, we also toured urban and rural areas, as well as “cultural” villages, to understand the building materials and facilities that the homes consisted of. We compared these findings to understand how the home stay regulations can encompass all regions of Namibia. We also stayed in a mock “cultural” village to understand how these villages fit into the home stay program. In addition, we researched the bed-and-breakfast regulations, and adapted them to fit the home stay program. We used the community meetings and tours to understand what the host and guest will need to know prior to participating in the program. We also researched preparatory measures home stay programs around the world use, and identified how to adjust them to be specific to Namibia’s program. FINDINGS After compiling and comparing all of the feedback we received from our community meetings and visits, we developed the following findings regarding the interest and capacity of stakeholders, regulations, and preparatory measures: iv 1. Interests and capacities of stakeholders • The NTB can contribute to the operation of the program with regards to regulation, marketing and training. The NTB inspectors will inspect the homes to ensure they meet the prescribed standards, market this program worldwide, and provide training for the host. • There are boundaries to the NTB’s ability to contribute to the program. We found that there is much more to the program than the NTB may be able to cover. Matching of hosts and guests and ensuring the application material is valid, are some areas that the NTB cannot currently monitor. • Tour operators who provide tours to “cultural” villages are responsible for the communication between the residents and the tourist, as well as the tourist’s safety. • Local registration authorities inspect and issue fitness certificates to businesses. We found that health inspectors need to inspect businesses that apply for a fitness certificate. In urban areas, once approved by the health inspector, the town municipality will issue a fitness certificate. Businesses in rural areas receive a fitness certificate from the Ministry of Trade. A chief will grant a letter of approval for “cultural” villages. • A majority of accommodation establishment owners expressed contempt with the home stay program. 2. Regulations • Homes in urban cities, rural farms, and “cultural” villages consisted of different building materials and facilities. We found that homes in urban cities and rural farms were mainly two bedroom, one bathroom, brick or concrete homes. “Cultural” villages consisted of homes with a hut or cluster of huts occupied by a family, which were made from mud, clay, and cow dung, with a thatched roof. Some villages had a dry or chemical toilet and water pump for the community to share. • Many people believed that health and safety standards should not be set too low. There were many concerns over the number and type of toilets each home had. If too many people were sharing a bathroom it may cause a health and safety risk for the guest. Also, the cleanliness of the kitchen facilities and people handling the food may pose a risk to the guest’s health. • A major concern from community members was that standards would be too high to allow low-income households to participate. • Community members were concerned standards would compromise culture. If major changes need to be made to homes, these changes could affect the culture of the household. A mock “cultural” village was built away from the rest of the community and was an example of how culture can be preserved and still shared with tourists. 3. Preparatory measures for the guest and host • Meeting participants indicated guests should be aware of things such as social and cultural clashes, specific household procedures, and health and safety precautions before participating in the home stay program. RECOMMENDATIONS v Based on our findings from our community meetings and visits, we made the following recommendations: 1. Interest and Capacities of Stakeholders • We recommend to the NTB strategies for the marketing and upkeep of the program, as well as an application process. The NTB should market the home stay program as a way to exchange culture rather that for its economic benefits. They should create the position of Home Stay Specialist to help keep record of all the registered home stays, match host and guest and verify application material. As part of the application process, guests must provide criminal background check and health examination. 2. Regulations • We recommend that the program be separated into Urban, Rural, and “Cultural” stays. To help preserve culture, the program should be separated into these three categories. In urban and rural stays the guest would stay in the home of the host family, while guests in “cultural” stays would be in a separate homestead form the host. • We recommend a set of regulations for the home stay program. 3. Preparatory Measures for the Guest and Host • We recommend two home stay guides, one for the host and one for the guest. We created two home stay guides to prepare the host and guest for their participation in the program. These guides include an explanation of the program, tips for handling situations that may arise, and explanations of cultural differences. If these suggestions are implemented, they could lead to a successful home stay program. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the following people for their assistance with this project • Juliet Isaacs for aiding us in our research, helping organize and facilitate meetings with the communities, driving us around the country, being our Namibian mom throughout the trip, taking good care of us, and for being an awesome liaison. • Our advisors, Professor Nikitina and Professor Robertson, for providing feedback on our project and guiding us through our IQP. • Professor Hersh for preparing us for our project. • The Namibia Tourism Board for providing us with this project. • Manfred !Gaeb and Uncle Ben !Gaoseb for traveling with us, providing input on our project, teaching us how to speak in clicks, and offering comical relief. • Establishment owners for providing accommodations during our trips. • Municipalities for giving us places to conduct meetings, and providing volunteers who offered feedback on the program. • Christine Drew for teaching us proper research techniques. • WPI and IGSD for giving us the opportunity to travel to Namibia.
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