‘Uncultured families’ to be suspended from running homestays in Hoi An

According to a temporary regulation issued by the Hoi An People’s Committee on October 20, local households in the city will not be able to continue operating their homestays if they are not recognized as “cultured families” for two straight years.

A “cultured family” is a family recognized annually by local functional authorities for obeying the country’s regulations and standards of family unity and equality as well as cultural values.

According to the regulation, the Hoi An People’s Committee also has the right to suspend hosts who violate environmental sanitation rules; do not have certificates proving their attendance in classes on local culture, communication skills and homestay operations within 12 months since opening; or only provide accommodation without cultural activities.

The committee’s temporary regulation said hosts are required to offer tourists the chance to experience local culture during their homestay by organizing cultural activities.

Moreover, eligible hosts for homestay services include households consisting of at least two generations who have been recognized as “cultured families” by the city’s People Committee and have at least one member who can speak English. The family must have obeyed the country’s laws as well.

Each household running a homestay can have a maximum of five rooms, each of which have to be registered and managed by local authorities.

According to the committee, the temporary regulation aims at guiding local homestay services in order to preserve and improve local traditional cultural values, as well as to ensure the sustainable development of local ecological and cultural community tourism services.

The Hoi An People’s Committee also requested that related agencies put an effort into managing the homestay industry.