The program has run for the past four years. Residents can rent out their home or just a room to visitors seeking accommodation during the Celtic Festival from Thursday April 29 to Sunday May 2.

Kirsty Grange of Century 21 in Glen which has the contract for the home stay, said nine home stays had already been booked with a further seven still available.

But more homes were required to accommodate the anticipated influx of visitors, Australian Celtic Festival administration assistant Linda Bruce said.

“Residents offering their homes have found that the same visitors return to stay year after year,” she said.

Mrs Bruce said the program offered alternate accommodation within the town. She said commercial accommodation was in high demand during the festival. To accommodate the increasing number of visitors further accommodation was needed.

“With the communities support we can cater for more visitors and more money can be spent within the local economy,” she said.

“Home stay accommodation provides visitors with an alternative when limited commercial accommodation is available, otherwise potential visitors will stay in nearby towns or they won’t come at all.”

Resident Donna Broadbent has participated in the home stay program for the past three years. Mrs Broadbent rents out rooms in her house. She said the visitors just needed a bed and a shower. She said sometimes they would bring their own food and use the kitchen but mostly they went out for meals.

Mrs Broadbent said she has continued to be involved with the initiative as the people the festival attracted were nice, trustworthy people and she has never had any trouble.

“It is good to get the community behind the festival,” she said.

Mrs Bruce said the only conditions for the program were residents had to own their own home and have their own house and contents insurance.

Meanwhile the resident’s pass will operate again this year. The pass provides half price entry to the festival and is available from the Visitors Information Centre when residents show a form of identification.