Homestay is a form of tourism that allows a visitor to rent a room from a local family in a homelike setting. It is sometimes used for improving language skills and getting familiar with the local lifestyle and is very popular with students who study abroad. Hosting a homestay participant also allows the local family to earn income. Students tend to arrange a homestay with their school or educational institution, but they can also informally arrange to stay with a family through social connections as well as through a variety of private agencies.

Under the Kenya tourism act ,there exists the criterion for homestays to exist and what the host families can do to qualify. We have 3 types of home stays categories:

• Community homestays.
• Farm-stays.
• Modern urban private homes.

Homes are graded for homestays in reference to the below qualities;

• Location and how accessible your house is.
• Safety and security.
• Hygiene and sanitation.
• Premises quality in regards to amenities that you can offer the tourists.
• General services.

Some of the qualities that make one legible for homestays under the Kenyan law include:

• People or individual who have passed the inspection can be should provide 1 room or a maximum of 6 rooms to host the tourists.
• The one who wants to house them will be given a license and allowed to register only if he/she is physically staying there with the family.
• At least one person the household should be able to speak the foreigners’ language and especially English.
• Immediately you apply for homestays licensing your home should be ready for inspection by the government.
• Licenses are valid for a period of 1 year and upon 3 months to expiry one should start reapplying for renewal.
• All applications for the home-stay permit should be completed and the fees paid.
• The licensed home-stay household standards should be maintained because the government officials reserve the right to pop in any time for an inspection without prior notice.
• The officials can place your home in a lower or higher category from the one you applied in. They reserve that right.
• Helps the host families to earn a few extra coins from the tourists It is easier to get the government to help you with facilitation of loans to help in improvement of your home.
• One gets to use the official government tourism brand and websites for marketing.

Benefits of staying in a homestay

Personal Attention

Many homestay families are well adjusted to the hosting experienced. Unlike alternative accommodation styles, homestays offer a high degree of personalized attention and interaction between the host and guest.

Local Knowledge

Nobody knows a country like locals. For an authentic representation of how life is lived in any country, homestays are unrivaled. Locals are able to provide insight into tourist activities, local customs, and cultural nuances.

Home Cooking

Restaurants are available to anyone; home cooked meals are confined to homes. Local home cooking is a gateway into authentic cuisine. This can drastically differ from the styles offered at the local restaurants. Some homestays even invite guests into their kitchen to watch the food being prepared

Cost

Homestays are typically cheaper than hotels.The main point is that a homestay’s offer is fundamentally different than a hotel’s. Hotels provide a means of experiencing traditional comforts and amenities no matter where you are. Homestays, however, provide authentic living conditions of the destination regardless of the accustomed comforts and amenities of the guest.

Friendships

Rarely do you get a chance to connect with local people the way you do during a homestay. The relationship is one of mutual respect and admiration and often grows into a friendship.

Benefits to the homestay owners

The owners are able to earn some extra income. The owners with time develop long lasting friendships with their host as well as learn from the hosts about where they come from.