When it comes to incentive travel, most people expect them to be designed for complete luxury. However, more and more people are learning that new arrangements, especially for accommodation, are much better at providing a glimpse into traditions and cultures that are quite unfamiliar to them. This is one of the perks of travel that many are now looking for: a deeper understanding of what makes destinations really unique.

This is also one of the reasons why a lot of incentive travel house these days are looking into home-stay arrangements to replace hotel accommodation. When it comes to delivering an experience like no other, it appears that home-stays are much better at it.

Other than this particular reason, there are other factors that make it a great consideration for the design of an incentive travel program.

1. It’s more affordable and definitely better than the budget hotel sector. Hotel rates are so expensive, which automatically limits the other experiences to be had during the getaway. With home-stays, the budget allocation for the incentive travel program can be spread to other activities.
2. Home-stays create better opportunities for socialization. Guests automatically get a family that looks after them. On top of that, home-stay families are all about making their guests feel like part of the community. They even take the time to give their guests a tour of the area and introduce them to everybody. And because they (the guests) are known as “personal guests” of certain families, the entire community tends to demonstrate extra concern for them.
3. Home-stay families are committed to understanding the needs of the guests. In Japan, for example, families that participate in the home-stay program personally inquire after what their guests want to get out of their stay. After getting answers, they determine how they can guarantee such an experience for their guests.
4. There are many freebies from home-stay arrangements that aren’t bathroom essentials. Home-stay families don’t just share their food; many of them really want to share their culture and even offer personal gifts to guests. In Korea, home-stay families from agricultural locations present their guests with gifts of kimchi, makgeolli, and rice cakes.
5. When it comes to quality of accommodation, home-stays are actually quite competitive. They offer similar conveniences that hotels do, but the overall feel is certainly more intimate or homey.

Indeed, travel is not just about seeing a new place — it’s also about creating valuable connections. With a home-stay program, tourists get both, and even more.