One of the places that really impressed me was an outpost run by one of the better tour operators here in Thailand. I would like to share with you and other interested persons some photos of how they have set up this place on a tribal villages up on the hills of Chiang Mai province.

You cannot fault these people for effort. Actually, this is one area wherein Pinoys could improve on a lot. Presentation is very important. Things have to look good. That is Look good for the client. One must think differently when you are in the tourism industry. You must cater to the needs of the client. These photos are just some examples of how you can tweek you presentation to make it more appealing to clients.

I hope that people in the Department of Tourism in the Philippines reads this thread.

The homestay facility took full advantage of the spectacular vista they had to offer by constructing a large veranda where visitors could chill out on lounge cushions. A fireplace was built right there on an earth-bottomed fireplace to keep visitors warm. This place gets really cold especially during the winter months. This is something that could be done at the Cordilleras. Mitz - take note.

Presentation is very important. When you are going to stay at a tribal village you expect the worst - thinking that the toilet would be a pit in the ground with two bamboo poles stuck on the ground so you would have something to grab on. Ha ha! Not this place. This toilet is detached from the main building but WOW! It had as good a view of the valley as if you were on the lounging area of the homestay facility. When you sit on the throne - you feel like you are the king of the hill...



They have a water heater (LPG) for hot showers during the cold winter months.

Ms Demi Noor wrote:

this one is really cool Sir MDN! simple ideas lang talaga and concept...but clean and effective din!

One very important facility at a homestay is the Kitchen. If visitors see a clean kitchen, they are reasured that the food prepared will be equally clean. It also gives visitors an opportunity to participate in food preparation which many tour operators fail to capitalize on.

Thanks for the comment Ongbak!!! ha ha...

Anyways, presentation is very important when it comes to food preparation. We are several lightyears behind Thailand on this field. There is so much to learn from them. This is why SP is such a wonderful medium for sharing and learning.

This packed lunch was prepared for us. The food was nothing special really. Fresh fruits, Namprik Ong and blanced vegetables, a hardboiled egg. But look at the hardboiled egg!! Talagang pinaganda pa.

Okey, busug na. Off to bed. Oy! Even the bedroom looks like, clean and mosquito free. I thought I was going to be sleeping on a roll mat that was full of fleas. So my friends, even with a homestay facility that is made almost entirely out of bamboo, something beautiful can be created.

One word of caution though. Before you invest in putting up a facility like this, you must know that the tour company that was responsible for putting up this outpost (that's the correct term) on this hill is one of the larger ones. They have enough tourists to justify making this investment. Of course you can scale down your operation to a more modest level.

Good night... zzzzzzzz

These ones are nice merging of modern and ancient facilities.

What is really important here is the presentation. The place looks clean - so it must be clean. The place looks fresh, has a spectacular vista, a clean kitchen, a toilet that is on top of the world overlooking a beautiful valley. What more can you ask for when you are taking a dump?

i think this is the private sectors' responsibility rather than the Department of Tourism. ang dami kasi talaga nilang tourists dito sa Thailand kaya nag iinvest sila or we can say it the other way around, nag iinvest sila kaya ang daming tourist?