16 homestay operators received certification of excellent quality assurance under the Malaysia Tourism Excellence (MaTEx) Business Certification Programme by Tourism Productivity Nexus (TPN).
Supported by the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC), the certificate presentation event was held virtually on 17th June 2021.
During the event, all 16 recipients also received the Certificate of Compliance with SOP COVID-19 Guidelines.
The MaTEx Business Certification Programme certifies homestay operators based on satisfactory fulfilment of the industry-level standard for homestays comprising 181 indicators, while Adopt and Adhere Certificate of Compliance is awarded to homestay operators who score 90% from 69 indicators.
The certification process is fully conducted online.
MaTEx Business Certification Programme is the first industry-level certification scheme in the country which set the entry-level requirements for tourism products and services in Malaysia.
The programme was officially launched by the former Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture on 27 November 2019, and since then 192 tourism businesses have been certified under the programme.
From 192 tourism businesses, 22 recipients are from Sarawak and has received certification under the program since 2019.
In 2020, MaTEx went through the transformation phase in shifting the certification process from the conventional face-to-face approach to the online method due to restriction in movements imposed by the MCO.
Positive reaction from the participating companies indicated that they were receptive of the process and its effectiveness for future implementation.
TPN is strengthening the efforts to enhance the overall MaTEx certification scheme, particularly the benefits certified companies will get.
