‘Dependent on the relationship you maintain’: an exploration into the intermediaries within homestay social networks in Bhutan

Figures & data

Table 1. Sample compositions.

Group	Sample	Description
Key informants Coded: KI	11	Subject experts who provided an overview of homestay operations in Bhutan. Representatives of: Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB), Guide Association of Bhutan (GAB), Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), National tour operators and guides, Gups (Head of the locally elected administrative block), and two village homestays from Paro (a town 188 kilometres away from the case study site) with extended experience in homestay operation.
Certified homestay households Coded: HH	16	Participants who operated a homestay household within the case location with appropriate certification from the TCB. Participants were initially recruited through the list of homestays advertised on the TCB website and through local leaders, followed by snowballing.
Non-homestay households Coded: NHH	17	Local participants from diverse occupations such as farmers, taxi drivers, astrologers, hoteliers, Tshogpa (community council members), and cultural experience providers. They provided services and experiences homestay visitors may participate in. Participants were initially recruited through local leaders within the community and then through snowballing.
Uncertified homestay households Coded: UHH	2	Households that operate a homestay operation without the required certification from the TCB. Recruited through local leaders within the community.

Figure 1. Intermediaries within the homestay social network.

Diagram showing the interactions between homestay intermediaries in the social network. Certified homestays are in the centre and operate in the formal network with the Tourism Council of Bhutan, national tour guides and tour operators. Within the informal networks, certified homestay households interact directly with local hotels, other homestay households and guests. Certified homestay households relate indirectly through informal networks with hon-homestay households.