Syntax Literate: Jurnal Ilmiah Indonesia pï¿½ISSN: 2541-0849

e-ISSN: 2548-1398

Vol. 6, No. 4, April 2021

THE AWARENESS TOWARDS QUALITYï¿½ OF SERVICE FROM HOMESTAY PROVIDERS IN PREMIUM TOURISM DESTINATION

Gregorius Antariksa Berybe, Elisabeth Oktaviani Hanggu dan Maria Beatrix Rahinart Wellalangi

Politeknik eLBajo Commodus, Nusa Tenggara Timur

Email: [email protected], [email protected] dan [email protected]

Abstract

This research aims to know the understanding of homestay providers about the quality of service. The research design of this study is descriptive quantitative where data collected from the questionnaires that given to the homestay providers at Liang Ndara Village, Labuan Bajo, with factors of analysis are: 1) Tourism Awareness, ï¿½2) Sanitation and Hygiene, 3) Psychology of Service, 4) Guest Service and English for Communication. The result of this study shows that 84,9% of respondents are not aware of the importance of sanitation and hygiene. English as a communication shows about 78,2% of respondents are not using English as daily communication with the foreign guest. This lack of interaction because of the effect of the psychology of service (8%) of respondents are less confident having interaction. While factors shown by the respondents are highly aware such as tourism awareness (100%) and 86,9% respondents have shown their awareness of service. Providing quality of service is required commitment from respondents to aware of those factors.

Keywords: homestay; quality service; ASEAN homestay standard

Introduction

The establishment of Labuan Bajo as a premium tourist destination from the Indonesian Government has increased the visitor rate either local or international. According to the Tourism Office of West Manggarai Regency, in 2018, the number of tourists is 163.054 and it reaches 187.098 in 2019. This increased number of tourist visits gives an impact on the accommodation sector. The number of accommodation facilities in West Manggarai itself is 98 consisting of star rating hotels and nonstar rating in 2018 (manggaraibaratkab.go.id).

One of the tourist accommodations is a homestay. Often located in rural areas actively owned, managed, and operated by the communities where tourists reside and enjoy the local traditional activities and cultural performances (Acharya and Halpenny, 2013). Generally speaking, the location of the homestay is in the village area with the aiming for local community development. The existence of homestay in the village as an economic wheel for the locals with the efforts of daily activities from the local community. One of the tourism villages in West Manggarai Regency is Liang Ndara Village. In 2020, the number of homestays in Liang Ndara village alone is 25 (twenty-five). The presence of a quality homestay that matches to (ASEAN Homestay Standard, n.d.) becomes important to support the improvement of tourism in Liang Ndara.

Lanier and Berman in (Wedatama & Mardiansjah, 2018) homestay is a condition where the tourist who comes to visit a destination place chooses to rent accommodation during the visit such as villagerï¿½s own house in the community in which an empty room is provided to meet and interact with the visitor possible and that it adds the ownerï¿½s house income up from the cost payment. Homestay itself makes an opportunity as a source of income as it was also explained by (Kontogeorgopoulos, Churyen, & Duangsaeng, 2015) that homestay represents the process of commercializing a residential space for profitable purposes. Concerning management homestay, a local community in Liang Ndara is demanded to offer quality service. The standard of homestay management includes sanitation and hygiene of homestay and environmental around, guest service standard, self-confidence when meeting the guest, and supported by basic English competence for communication as a foundation to creating interaction between the homestay providers and the tourist.

The challenge faced by the destination management is how far the awareness of homestay providers regarding the factors that influence the quality service referring to the (ASEAN Homestay Standard, n.d.). The activity and the familiar atmosphere in a homestay make it possible for the guests to feel directly the way of life from the local community with the touch quality service. As (Kontogeorgopoulos et al., 2015) have stated that homestay in the tourism village enables the guests to see and feel a slight look at the daily life of the villagers which is different from conventional tourism.

The awareness of the homestay provider of his role as tourism agent in the village has an impact on guest service. The lack of awareness of his role may cause obstacles to the tourism development around. The previous research shows that the localï¿½s support beyond the tourism is very important for the success of the communityï¿½s participation just because of the localsï¿½ level of understanding following the other stakeholdersï¿½ also stated that Managed tourism can make a positive contribution to destinations, and thus it could receive support from the local communities (Aref & Redzuan, 2009). It is important to have a prior evaluation of the level of the local community awareness and their knowledge about their perception of tourism development in their area. Not only to help to identify the imbalance in the understanding of the community about the concept but also to enlarge the program and policy that can be used as a guide for the community to be more apprehensive on the process for tourism development (Ismail, Hanafiah, Aminuddin, & Mustafa, 2016). Basic competence of homestay management is fundamental concerning providing quality service.

The importance of service psychology is to know the attitude of the homestay provider relate to interaction and servicing guests. Performance (personal grooming) of the homestay provider reflects cleanliness, health, and it affects the feel of comfort on the side of the service user (guest) (Suhartoyo, 2019). The attitude when interacting with the guest will affect satisfaction for the customer. Service as an economic activity is consumed when produced and it gives an additional value of entertainment package, comfort, health, ease and need, and other customerï¿½s desires. The concept of widely more acceptable quality service is more comparatively and it concentrates on the difference between the expectation of the customer on the service work and actual experience in service work (Review, Osman, & Sentosa, 2013).

Sanitation and hygiene are important elements in the hospitality industry. According to (Wahyunanto, 2018), sanitation is all efforts to prevent disease focusing on the human-environmental health effort. The focus of sanitation is a clean environment. While hygiene is the cleanliness as a process of how people keep and take care of self-health (Auliya & Aprilia, 2016), where the focus is on personal hygiene (homestay provider).

As a part of the hospitality industry, homestay is run in the accommodation sector by providing guest facilities services such as room reservation, food and beverage services, souvenirs, or local activities. Services will help identify gaps in the community's understanding of the concept, but also to develop programs and policies that can guide people to better understand the process and importance of tourism development (Cï¿½rdenas, Byrd, & Duffy, 2015).

The interaction between the homestay provider and the guest (tourist) creates a familiar atmosphere offered by the homestay manager as a tourism product. The use of the English language should be a policy in tourism management (Al-Saadi, 2015). The competence to communicate in English will become a key factor when meeting with foreign tourists. Foreign language brings recognition about external communication. The skill in using a foreign language is important due to better reciprocal relationships (Leslie & Russell, 2006). English competence is required in running the homestay and that it will give benefit for informal and formal communication. Therefore, the development of communicative competence in the tourism business is very important to make tourism management successful (Al-Saadi, 2015).

Methodology

This research uses an experimental approach including quantitative research that will be made in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai. In the first step, a researcher has an interview as a pre-study. The aim of this interview is a better understanding of the local need for developing homestay. The premier data source will be gained from the distributed questionnaire sheets. The secondary data are based on the national regulations, reports, journals, and other documents.

The Judgemental sampling technique is taken from a homestay provider in Liang Ndara village. The demography characteristics of the respondents that will be collected are concerning sex, age, recent education, and the time the homestay starts to operate.

The questionnaires with the title ï¿½ The awareness of the homestay provider on the importance of quality serviceï¿½ is shown below :

Table 1

Research questionnaires

No	Variable	Statement
1	Tourism awareness	a. I realize that the homestay provider is a tourism agent. b. I understand that homestay is one of the tourism products. c. I know the difference between homestay and hotel. d. I realize the role of the homestay provider as the guide of the tourism village. e. I know the existence of homestay is to support tourism village development. f. I have attended the training of tourism awareness for homestay providers.
2	Sanitation and hygiene	a. I know the meaning of sanitation in the homestay area. b. I know the meaning of hygiene for the homestay provider. c. I understand the relationship between homestay and sanitation-hygiene. d. I realize that sanitation and hygiene are the requirements for the homestay operational. e. I have implemented the correct sanitation and hygiene patterns in homestay management f. I have attended training related to sanitation hygiene for homestay providers.
3	Psychology of service	a. I understand that good communication creates a familiar relationship with the guest. b. I feel very confident when communicating with guests. c. I understand the ethics of communicating with local and international guests. d. I have a tidy performance when greeting the guest in the homestay. e. I often interact with the guest who spends the night at the homestay. f. I have attended training related to the psychology of service.
4	Guest service	a. I can communicate with the guest correctly, properly, and honestly. b. I make a proper gesture when serving the guest. c. I know the procedure of how to receive guests, the information of reservations, food and drink service, and the homestay facilities. d. I can give a response to the guest properly and honestly who complains about my homestay service. e. I have attended training homestay guest service training. ï¿½ï¿½
5	English for Communication	a. I use English as a language when welcoming guests, reservations, food and drink services, and explanations of facilities and local attractions. b. I often communicate with foreign tourists. c. I feel confident when communicating with the English language. d. I feel sufficient when communicating only in the Indonesian language. e. I realize my English competence is increasing the quality of homestay service. f. I have attended an English training for the homestay provider.

ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½

A. Data Analysis

This research uses 4 points Likert scale with the index score ranging from ï¿½ Strongly disagreeï¿½ to Strongly agreeï¿½ answers. The statements written in the survey are positive statements that indicate that learning is running effectively, if the respondent agrees, the index value will be even higher. Collected data will be processed using SPSS statistical program to find out the relationship between the framed questions and the variables already chosen. The index values in each category are as follows :

Table 2

4 points of Likert Scale

Index score	Category	Code
1	Strongly Disagree	SD
2	Disagree	D
3	Agree	A
4	Strongly Agree	SA

Results And Discussions

A. Results

1. Demography profile

The survey was conducted on 23 homestay provider (n=23) in Liang Ndara Village with the following demographic profiles :

a. Gender

Tabel 3 Gender (n=23)
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Male	12	52.2	52.2	52.2
	Female	11	47.8	47.8	100.0
	Total	23	100.0	100.0

Table 1 shows 12 respondents or 52.2% were male and 11 respondents or 47.8% were female.

b. Age

Respondents involved in this study aged 40 years and over were 15 people followed by a range of ages 30-40 years reaching 6 people and the remaining 2 people aged between 20-30 years.

Tabel 4 Age
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	20-30 Years	2	8.7	8.7	8.7
	30-40 Years	6	26.1	26.1	34.8
	40-50 Years	8	34.8	34.8	69.6
	50 Years up	7	30.4	30.4	100.0
	Total	23	100.0	100.0

c. Last education

The highest percentage for the latest education is 60.9% or 14 people who are high school/equivalent graduates while the lowest presentation is 1 person or 4.3% respectively of bachelor and diploma graduates while the rest are junior high school graduates 5 people or 21.7% and SD graduates are 2 people (8.7%).

Tabel 5 Last education
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	SD	2	8.7	8.7	8.7
	SMP	5	21.7	21.7	30.4
	SMA/ekuivalent	14	60.9	60.9	91.3
	Diploma	1	4.3	4.3	95.7
	Sarjana	1	4.3	4.3	100.0
	Total	23	100.0	100.0

d. Operational Homestay

Homestay in Liang Ndara has been operating since 2010 until now and the number continues to increase according to the head village.

Tabel 6 Operasional homestay
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	2010	1	4.3	4.3	4.3
	2013	6	26.1	26.1	30.4
	2014	4	17.4	17.4	47.8
	2015	1	4.3	4.3	52.2
	2016	2	8.7	8.7	60.9
	2017	2	8.7	8.7	69.6
	2018	6	26.1	26.1	95.7
	2019	1	4.3	4.3	100.0
	Total	23	100.0	100.0

2. Tourism Awareness

Tabel 7 Tourism Awareness
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Agree	13	56.5	56.5	56.5
	Strongly Agree	10	43.5	43.5	100.0
	Total	23	100.0	100.0

Respondents' understanding of the existence of a homestay as part of a tourism village product is very high where 100% of respondents chose to agree was 13 people or 56.5% and strongly agree was 43.5% or 10 people. It can be concluded that homestay managers have understood the role of homestays as part of tourism products. As tourism actors, homestay managers play a role in the development of tourism village products as a criterion for the host community (Budi Wahyuni & F.P., 2020). This result is also shown by the study of (Sihombing, Gunawijaya, & Akbar, 2017) where almost all of the respondents of the study were aware that they have an important role in participation.

3. Sanitation and Hygiene

Tabel 8 Sanitation and Hygiene
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Strongly Disagree	1	4.3	4.3	4.3
	Disagree	19	82.6	82.6	87.0
	Agree	3	13.0	13.0	100.0
	Total	23	100.0	100.0

The cleanliness of the homestay and the surrounding environment is one of the findings in this study. This can be seen from the respondent's data index which reached 86.9% or 20 respondents who chose "disagree and strongly disagree". This can be interpreted as a lack of understanding of the homestay provider on the importance of implementing sanitation and hygiene in the homestay environment. (Saud, Uma, & Silwal, 2019) stated that the health, sanitation, and safety of tourists must be a priority for every homestay or hotel. Homestay providers must consider cleanliness as an important thing by doing the best possible cleaning (Budi Wahyuni & F.P., 2020).

4. Psychology of Service

Tabel 9 Psychology of Service
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Disagree	8	34.8	34.8	34.8
	Agree	15	65.2	65.2	100.0
	Total	23	100.0	100.0

Respondents' understanding of behavior in interacting with guests is quite good where 65.2% or 15 respondents understand the importance of service psychology. On the other hand, the number of respondents who did not understand the importance of service psychology showed a fairly high indicator, namely 34.8% or 8 respondents from a total of 23 respondents. The importance of confidence and ethics when communicating with tourists is well understood by the community. It can be concluded that the homestay provider understands the importance of service psychology in the process of interacting with guests.

5. Quality of Service.

Table 10 Quality of Service
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Disagree	3	13.0	13.0	13.0
	Agree	13	56.5	56.5	69.6
	Strongly Agree	7	30.4	30.4	100.0
	Total	23	100.0	100.0

The majority of respondents 30.4% or 7 people chose "strongly agree" and 56.5% or 13 people chose "agree". This is interpreted as Guest service procedures have been understood and implemented by the homestay provider. The results of the study (Review et al., 2013) ï¿½state that quality services have a direct impact on tourist trust through tourist satisfaction. It can be concluded that the respondents have understood the importance of the quality of services provided to guests. The finding of the study from (Al-Laymoun, Alsardia, & Albattat, 2020) shows strong and positive correlations between service quality and tourist satisfaction.

6. English for Communication

Tabel 11 English for Communication
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Strongly Disagree	1	4.3	4.3	4.3
	Disagree	17	73.9	73.9	78.3
	Agree	5	21.7	21.7	100.0
	Total	23	100.0	100.0

The low ability to communicate in English with foreign tourists is found in this study. The table above shows that 73.9% or 17 people "disagree" and 4.3% or 1 person "strongly disagree" that they use English communication when interacting with foreign tourists. This is defined as the respondent's lack of English language skills when communicating with guests. English is important for information exchange in a variety of situations such as coffee shops, homestays, restaurants, and community learning centers (Nomnian, Trupp, Niyomthong, Tangcharoensathaporn, & Charoenkongka, 2020). As a tourist actor, homestay providers are expected to be able to communicate in English when dealing with foreign tourists. tourism employees use English for information, followed by providing services, and offering assistance (Prachanant, 2012).

B. Discussions

The understanding of service quality is the foundation of this study. The results showed that the understanding of homestay managers related to tourism awareness, the psychology of services, and services to guests showed positive results. This means that homestay managers understand the importance of ethics and interaction in serving guests. The findings in the study (Review et al., 2013) that rural tourism (village) spots should put in place good customer relationships with tourists, execute customer relationship management and create tourist satisfaction. This is inversely proportional to the understanding of hygiene sanitation which shows negative results. This means that the level of understanding of homestay managers on the importance of sanitation is still low. The results of the study (Saud et al., 2019) show that more than 90% of homestays in Nepal had managed a healthy environment, proper sanitation, and peace and security in homestays. The status was satisfactory in the study districts. (Elysia & Wihadanto, 2020) also state that access to basic sanitation facilities is considered as one of the aspects that should be considered to support the tourism industry, particularly in developing countries. Another negative finding from this study is the low use of English as a communication medium. This means that the English language skills of the homestay manager are still low and need to be improved. People who are required to use English at work for tourism and hospitality purposes need to improve their communicative abilities, language fluency, and accuracy (Zahedpisheh, B Abu bakar, & Saffari, 2017).

Conclusion

As one of the tourism products in Liang Ndara village, suitable homestay management (ASEAN Homestay Standard, n.d.) must be implemented in every homestay. The application of these standards is strongly influenced by the understanding of the homestay providers about the existence of a homestay as part of a tourism product. The understanding of quality services will be the key to implementing sustainable tourism in a homestay environment

The findings of this study indicate the need for training related to the application of sanitation and hygiene principles as well as English communication skills training. This is a form of response that can be made by tourism village management to improve service quality standards from homestay managers in Liang Ndara Village, Labuan Bajo as a premium tourist destination in Indonesia.

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Gregorius Antariksa Berybe, Elisabeth Oktaviani Hanggu dan Maria Beatrix Rahinart Wellalangi (2021)

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