Banking on expats, embassy staff to boost homestay tourism.

KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism Malaysia is planning to turn expatriate workers and foreign embassy representatives in the country into "product ambassadors" to promote its Malaysian Homestay Programme. It hopes that they will spread the word on the unique homestay experience to friends and families back home.

Tourism Malaysia communications and publicity division director Wan Zawawi Mohammed said yesterday: "We want to give them (the foreigners) the opportunity to get a taste of kampung life and experience a home away from their own. "After that, we hope that word of mouth will be good enough to attract more tourists." Tourism Malaysia yesterday hosted 35 diplomats and embassy …