KUALA LUMPUR: The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry is stepping up efforts to attract more foreign tourists to Kelantan's homestays, including through targeted digital marketing and influencer familiarisation trips.
Deputy Minister Chiew Choon Man said the initiatives, carried out through Tourism Malaysia, would give international audiences greater exposure to village life, local arts, heritage, culture and food.
He was responding to concerns raised by Zahari Kechik (PN-Jeli) in the Dewan Rakyat about the low number of foreign visitors staying at homestays in Kelantan despite various government initiatives.
Chiew clarified that the figure of just one foreign tourist cited by Zahari referred to May 2025 alone, rather than the period from January to May.
He acknowledged that more efforts were needed to attract foreign visitors to the state's homestays, while stressing that domestic tourists remained an important market.
As of August 2026, Kelantan had eight clusters under the Malaysia Homestay Experience Programme, with 141 registered operators and seven licensed Community-Based Host Tourist Guides.
The programme recorded 11,358 tourist arrivals and RM526,783 in revenue in 2025.
From January to August this year, it recorded 7,208 tourist arrivals and RM376,451 in revenue.
Chiew cited Homestay Jelawang in Kuala Krai, near Gunung Stong, as an example of a successful community-based tourism venture in the state.
The homestay generated more than RM300,000 in revenue in 2025, the highest among homestays in Kelantan, with 8,704 tourist arrivals, he said.
He added that the ministry was also working with other agencies to help homestay operators improve their competitiveness and income.
These included the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry and the Malaysia Co-operative Societies Commission, which encourage operators to join cooperatives to strengthen their businesses and access support grants.
The ministry was also collaborating with the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry to introduce agro-tourism programmes that could help homestay operators diversify their income and access relevant assistance.
Chiew said cooperation across ministries, state governments, local authorities and tourism industry players was important to strengthen community-based tourism and create more economic opportunities for rural communities.
