Abstract:
Homestay tourism industry is now very popular among travellers with more benefits. This research studied the quality of existing Homestay product in Sri Lanka and explores the expectations, level of met satisfaction and demographic characteristics of tourists and investigates which attributes are important in Homestay tourism in Sri Lanka. Further, this study could be applied to identify the product market match for the Sri Lankan Homestay. The data of this study was collected from Homestays in the Ella- Sri Lanka during January and February of 2013 using survey method. Structured questionnaire was employed with three categories to collect data on the tourists' expectation, perceived performance level and demographic information. 70 tourists were studied and questionnaires were distributed at the check¬out. Descriptive analysis, independent sample t- Test and ANOVA were employed according to respective objectives in this study. The results revealed that demographic characteristic (gender, age, marital status, education level and total household income) are not determined the expectations and met satisfaction of tourists. Most of the Sri Lankan Homestay tourists are females; young; single; well educated but have a lower level of income. Homestay tourists are highly expecting the real home experience but not much luxury facilities. Overall, the Sri Lankan Homestay product addresses the expectations of tourists.
