Community Understanding of Tourism Planning and Development in the Najran Region, Saudi Arabia
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Community Understanding of Tourism Planning and Development in the Najran Region, Saudi Arabia Mana Al Hussain Mashreef A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Brighton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 2020 The University of Brighton Abstract To diversify the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) economy and to reduce the country’s reliance on oil, the government launched Vision 2030 in 2016. The plan places significant emphasis on tourism development as a key driver of the Saudi economy and on the involvement of local communities as a key element in planning and developing tourism. However, the literature presents a notable lack of research intended to understand tourism from the perspectives of local people in the Arab region, including the KSA. With a focus on the Najran Region in the KSA, therefore, this study was aimed at exploring local people’s attitudes towards tourism and their role in tourism planning and related decision-making. To gain insights into the community-level experiences of tourism in the region, qualitative face-to-face interviews were conducted with 31 participants of both genders and diverse age ranges representing groups traditionally associated with tourism employment (e.g. taxi drivers, hoteliers and tour guides) and groups traditionally not associated (e.g. elders, journalists, activists, environmental groups, women’s groups and Bedouins). This study took into account the researcher’s positionality and, through reflexivity, the potential implications of his senior position with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. Additional complexities included the difficulties for men to conduct research on women in a patriarchal society and the impacts of tribal connections and religious affiliations, which all produced a number of methodological considerations. The conversations about tourism and planning reveal power struggles on many levels between generations, men and women, and clerics’ traditional views and others’ more ii modern values. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the significance of covert matriarchal power within the family and the importance of nepotism (Wasta) in Arab culture. Overall, familial, patriarchal, tribal and religious issues intersect and underpin conversations about tourism development in Najran. This study holds significance as its origins coincided with the launch of the KSA’s Vision 2030, and it is the first research to explore how hegemonic power impacts tourism development in a peripheral geographical context (Najran). This study on tourism development thus serves as a microcosm of the power complexities that fuel tensions between modernity (as represented by tourism development) and traditionalism in Saudi society. Key words: tourism development and planning, community participation, hegemonic power, patriarchy, Wasta, Najran, Saudi Arabia iii Table of Contents Page Abstract iv List of Tables iv List of Figures iv List of Abbreviations iv Acknowledgements iv Declaration iv Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study 1.1 Study Context and Research Gaps 1 1.2 Research Aim and Objectives 8 1.3 Geographical Context of the Study 9 1.3.1 Location, Population, Economy, Climate and Cultural and Natural 9 Attractions 1.3.2 Existing Tourism Infrastructure 25 1.3.3 Tourism Planning in Najran 30 1.4 Methodological Approach 35 1.5 Positionality and its reflection on the development of tourism in the Najran region 36 1.6 Structure of the Thesis 41 Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Definitions of Key Concepts 43 2.1.1 Community 43 2.1.2 Community Participation 49 2.1.3 Planning and Decision-making 59 2.1.4 Power 64 iv 2.2 Community Participation in Tourism Planning and Decision-making 68 2.2.1 The Emergence of Community Participation in Tourism Development 69 2.2.2 A Chronological Account of Studies on Community Participation in 70 Tourism Development 2.2.3 Community Participation in Tourism Planning and Development 72 2.2.4 Politics in Tourism Planning and Development 79 2.3 Community Participation in Tourism Planning and Decision-making in 83 Developing Countries 2.4 Tourism Planning and Decision-making in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 89 2.4.1 Planning and Decision-making in Saudi Arabia 89 2.4.2 Current Situation of Tourism Planning and Decision-making in Saudi 93 Arabia 2.5 Chapter Summary 99 Chapter 3: Methodology and Methods 3.1 Research Paradigms 101 3.2 The Interpretive Paradigm of this Study 107 3.3 Social Constructionism as a Research Strategy 111 3.4 Research Design 115 3.5 Research Methods 118 3.5.1 Data Collection 118 3.5.2 Data Analysis 131 3.5.3 Ethical Considerations 143 3.5.4 Trustworthiness 145 3.5.5 Reflexivity and Positionality 148 3.6 Chapter Summary 156 v Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion 4.1 Findings 159 4.1.1 Najrani’s understandings of Tourism 159 4.1.2 Understandings of Community in Najran 165 4.1.3 Understandings of Participation 169 4.1.4 Summary of the Findings 184 4.2 Discussion 186 4.2.1 Strict Adherence to Tribal Rules 186 4.2.2 Conflicts between and within Patriarchy and Matriarchy 195 4.2.3 Multiple Interpretations of Islam (Religiosity) 204 4.3 Significance of the Findings and the Discussion 211 Chapter 5: Conclusions 5.1 An overview of the study’s results 219 5.2 Contributions to Knowledge 224 5.2.1 Gramscian perspective on tourism in Najra 224 5.2.2 Local interpretation of tourism, community and participation 226 5.2.3 Tourism development in Arab peripheral region 228 5.3 Going forward 228 5.4 Management implications of the study and recommendations for further research 232 5.5 Concluding remarks 233 Bibliography 236 Appendixes 291 vi List of Tables Page Table 1.1: Air traffic in some regional and local airports in the Kingdom 26 Table 2.1: Pretty’s (1995) Typology of Community Participation 58 Table 2.2: Tourism Planning Traditions 74 Table 2.3: Normative Typology of Community Participation 77 Table 3.1: Interview Questions 121 Table 3.2: Participants’ Information 126 Table 3.4: Advantages of Thematic Analysis 138 vii List of Figures Page Figure 1.1: Location of Najran Region 10 Figure 1.2: View of the Najran Valley 13 Figure 1.3: Sand Dunes in the Empty Quarter Desert 14 Figure 1.4: Arabian Oryx in the Uruq Bani Ma’arid Protected Area 14 Figure 1.5: Inscriptions at Bir Hima 16 Figure 1.6: Al-Okhdood Archaeological Site 17 Figure 1.7: An Example of Mud Houses 18 Figure 1.8: Emarah Palace 19 Figure 1.9: Al-Aan Palace 19 Figure 1.10: An Example of the Pottery Industry in Najran 20 Figure 1.11: Al-madhans as an Example of the Soap Stone Industry 21 Figure 1.12: An Example of the Wood Industry 21 Figure 1.13: Daggers 22 Figure 1.14: Silver Jewellery 23 Figure 1.15: An Example of the Leather Industry 24 Figure 1.16: Najran Airport 25 Figure 1.17: An Example of Roads in Najran 28 Figure 1.18: An Example of Hotels in Najran 29 Figure 1.19: An Example of National Parks in Najran 29 Figure 2.1: Arnstein’s (1969) Ladder of Citizen Participation 56 Figure 2.2: An Example of Different Planning Stages 63 Figure 2.3: Hierarchy of Planning and Decision-making in Saudi Arabia 91 Figure 2.4: Tourism Planning and Management in Saudi Arabia 95 Figure 3.1: Research Paradigms 107 Figure 3.2: Methodological Framework of the Study 118 viii List of Figures Page Figure 3.3: Examples of Coding 135 Figure 3.4: The Mural Painting 136 Figure 3.5: Emerging Themes 137 Figure 3.6: Translation during Thematic Analysis 140 ix List of Abbreviations CM Council of Ministers CEDA Council of Economic and Development Affairs CBT Community-based tourism CREC College Research Ethics Committee DC Doctoral College FDI Foreign direct investment GCC Gulf Cooperation Council GAS General Authority for Statistics IMF International Monetary Fund KSA Kingdom of Saudi Arabia MEP Ministry of Economy and Planning NTP National Transformation Programme NTDC Najran Tourism Development Council PTDS Provincial Tourism Development System RG Regional governors SAP Structural adjustment programmes SC Shura Council SCT Supreme Commission for Tourism SCTA Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities SCTNH Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage TDC Tourism development councils UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development UNWTO United Nations World Tourism Organisation UN United Nations WB World Bank x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research could not have been completed without the guidance and wisdom of God the Almighty (Allah). I wish to thank my family, friends and supervisors who gave me their love and support on this long journey. I offer my gratitude to my supervisors Drs Clare Weeden and Nigel Jarvis for their constant encouragement and guidance, which were essential to the completion of this thesis. Moreover, I owe my wife Malhah a great deal for her patience, encouragement and constructive inspiration in the most difficult times. My gratitude also extends to Mr Habib Habash, the tourism development advisor, for providing feedback, reviewing the translation of the interviews and making sure that the English translations matched the original Arabic. I will not forget the generous support of my sister Qanah, who worked very hard to help me achieve this dream. My thanks go to all my colleagues and officials in the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage for their support. Finally, may Allah have mercy on my father and mother. xi DECLARATION I declare that the research contained in this thesis, unless otherwise formally indicated within the text, is the original work of the author. The thesis has not been previously submitted to this or any other university for a degree and does not incorporate any material already submitted for a degree.