Purpose - This paper aims to determine the readiness of the local community in Aqaba to engage in hotel work. The study problem can be posed by the following question：
Is there an impact of the local Aqaba community on the decision of its employees to work in the hotel field?
Study Importance - The importance and purpose of the study is to benefit from its results to determine the outlook of the members of Aqaba community towards working in the hotel, addressing the negative aspects that may be included in such view. Aiming at spreading national awareness in the minds of citizens corresponding to the social responsibility for the importance of working in this industry on economic, social and cultural bases, whether on the short or long term, and to stand on the extent, to which the Aqaba society accepts the work of its members in the hotel industry.
Design / methodology / approach -The study consists of two aspects, the theoretical aspect, which relies on the Arabic and foreign literature and studies on the concepts and explanations of the variables of this study, namely the decision to work in hotels and the factors influencing it, represented by the influence of customs and traditions of the country, religion, gender, group reference (family) as well as local awareness to work in hotels. Moreover, an analytical practical case study was based on a questionnaire, the study coverage sample population of local population of Aqaba city community, and it can be allows for a broad generalization of the study results for most Arabic communities in the world.
Findings- The results of the study showed that the local community's view of the city of Aqaba does not encourage work in the hotels significantly, and that there is lack of cultural awareness in the local community regarding hotels and areas of work, especially the areas in which women can work. Families in Aqaba also refuse work of their members, especially females in hotels, for fear of sexual harassment by guests on the one hand, and their employees to a lesser extent. Finally this study delivered a clear analysis for the local community readiness to engage in hotel work.
Study limitations / implications - The study difficulties were theoretical, due to the lack of previous studies on this subject. There were additional difficulties in this field, where the researcher encountered difficulties during the distribution of the questionnaire, as many individuals refused to fill out the form because of their lack of interest in the subject and did not take it seriously. It is possible, in the future, to adopt a study that will be appointed to one sample only, such as employees of government institutions, private industrial industry, private commercial industry, and military society and military forces, by means of electronically filled questionnaire on the Internet.
Originality / value- This study revealed the most important reasons that lead the youth of Aqaba city and most Arabic communities in the world of to refrain from working in the hotel industry, especially females, and that it is possible to raise the awareness of Aqaba society to encourage their members to work in the hotel industry and overcome all the challenges, revealed by the results of the study. Researcher also handled women’s work in the hotel industry through the preparation of a hotel project that overcomes all the obstacles and challenges, which were revealed in the results of the study that would prevent the work of women in the hotel industry. In other words, this study, through its results, created the first step towards changing the view of Aqaba society concerning the work of its members in the hotel industry.
THE IMPACT OF LOCAL GASTRONOMY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECOTOURISM
