Heritage and Hospitality Links in Hotels in Siwa, Egypt: Towards the Provision of Authentic Experiences
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Heritage and hospitality links in hotels in Siwa, Egypt: Towards the provision of authentic experiences by Maaly Abd Elghani A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2012 © Maaly Abd Elghani 2012 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii ABSTRACT The link between heritage and hospitality dates back hundreds of years. However, there are no firm rules that manage this old relationship. The research tackles the concept of ‘heritage hospitality’ as a new concept; which represents a managed heritage-hospitality link through the application of traditional heritage and traditional hospitality in hotels. This study addresses the relationship between heritage and hospitality at selected hotels in Siwa oasis in Egypt. Relationships between indigenous peoples and hotels, heritage and hospitality, hotels and heritage tourism, the possibility of applying the ‘heritage hospitality’ concept and the present status of heritage application in Siwan hotels were explored to achieve the research goal of providing a balance between commercialization and authenticity in hospitality. Field observations, a questionnaire survey, key informant interviews, and a focus group discussion were conducted in Siwa from October 2, 2010 to October 21, 2010. The present status of heritage application in Siwan hotels has been documented in this study. Although Siwa oasis is rich in both cultural and natural heritage, Siwan hotels utilize only one aspect of the cultural heritage: tangible cultural heritage. Thus, Siwan hotel operators may invest more in quality heritage presentation in order to contribute to the preservation of Siwan heritage and to earn more money. Authenticity is important to the enhancement of the link between heritage and hospitality. However, it is necessary to combine both old and modern practices in a balanced approach. This research contributes to practice and to conceptual and empirical understanding of heritage-hospitality nexus and, hopefully, will inspire more research on balancing authenticity and commercialization in hotels, particularly in developing countries like Egypt. Key Words: Heritage, hospitality, authenticity, commercialization, local people iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the people who have been instrumental in the successful completion of this thesis. First of all, I am sincerely and heartily grateful to my advisor, Geoffrey Wall, for the support he showed me throughout my dissertation writing. I feel motivated and encouraged every time I attend his meeting. Starting from the very beginning of my dissertation topic selection, throughout the research methods design and the final writing up of the dissertation, Geoff generously offered me his insightful advice and suggestions from his rich experience and knowledge, which guided me through the whole process. My heart-felt appreciation goes to my thesis advisory committee: Dr. Robert Shipley, Dr. Stephen Smith and Dr. Troy Glover for their patience, encouragement, and insightful and inspiring inputs. Without their contributions, this thesis would not be possible. Moreover, I would like to express my special thanks to Mr. Mahdy, Mr. Abdelaziz, Mrs. Heba and Mr. Fathi for their assistance in conducting my field research in Siwa oasis. My sincere thanks go to all interviewees for their consideration and patience. Without all of their support and assistance, this research could not be successful. Finally, my deep gratitude goes to my husband Mohamed Berisha (who gives me strength to work ahead) and my children Mahira, Moazer and Maimana for their love, understanding, patience, support, and encouragement throughout my whole PhD journey. In addition, I would like to thank all my family in Egypt, their love encourages me to work ahead. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTHOR’S DECLARATION .................................................................................... .. ii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... ... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………….. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... .viii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ ix Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 An overview ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Research Goals and Research Question ....................................................................... 4 1.3 Thesis Outline ............................................................................................................. 5 Chapter 2: Literature Review ................................................................................................ 7 2.1 Peripheral areas and tourism development................................................................... 7 2.1.1 Peripheral areas interest in tourism development................................................. 7 2.1.2 Challenges associated with development of tourism in peripheral areas........ 10 2.1.3 Risks associated with tourism development in peripheral areas ..................... 13 2.2 Heritage and hospitality ............................................................................................. 14 2.2.1 Heritage ………… ........................................................................................... 14 2.2.2 Hospitality.................................................................................................... 16 2.2.3 Possible relationships between heritage and hospitality .............................. 17 2.3 Authenticity................................................................................................................ 23 2.3.1 The nature of authenticity……........................................................................... 23 2.3.2 Authenticity as a guiding concept for research on the heritage-hospitality…… nexus………………………………………………………………………….. 26 2.3.3Authenticity as a misguiding concept for research on the heritage- hospitality nexus…………………………………………………………….. 28 2.4 Considerations for heightening understanding of heritage- hospitality relationships………………………………………………………………………… 30 2.4.1 Heritage tourism and hotels................ ……………………………………….. 30 2.4.2 Experiential tourism……………………………………………………………. 33 2.4.3 Cultural heritage in oases………………………………………………………..35 2.5 Chapter Summary...................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 3: Research Methods............................................................................................. 39 3.1 Study site and study hotels................................................................................. …...39 3.1.1 Study site……………………………………………………………………… 39 3.1.2 Siwan hotels: the study hotels………………………………………………. 44 3.2 Research design........................................................................................................ 45 3.2.1 Research question………………………………………………………………45 3.2.2 Mixed Method approach……………………………………………………….46 3.3 Methods of Data Collection………………………………………………………... 49 3.3.1 Key Informant Interview……………………………………………………… 49 3.3.2 Questionnaire survey…………………………………………………………….52 3.3.3 Personal Observation………………………………………………………….. 56 3.3.4 Focus group……………………………………………………………………. 58 v 3.4 Methods of Data Analysis…………………………………………………………… 60 3.4.1 Quantitative Data Analysis…………………………………………………… 60 3.4.2 Qualitative Data Analysis……………………………………………………. ..62 3.4.3 Qualitative Validity…………………………………………………………….65 3.5 Ethical Aspects……………………………………………………………………….65 3.6 Challenges and limitations…………………………………………………………....67 3.7 Chapter summary…………………………………………………………………......68 Chapter 4: Research Findings.............................................................................................. 70 4.1 Siwa oasis................................................................................................................... 70 4.2 Siwan hotels…………………………………………………………………………94 4.2.1 Observations using check lists……………………………………………. …..96 4.2.2 Observations of staff………………………………………………………….110 4.2.3 Comparison between internet sites and field observation…………………….111 4.3 Hotel guests’ questionnaire survey………………………………………………… 114 4.3.1 Socio-demographic profile of hotel guests………………………………….. 114 4.3.2 Experiencing heritage in Siwan hotels………………………………………. 122 4.3.3 Preferences for heritage application locations………………………………. 127 4.3.4 Differences in experiencing heritage in Siwan hotels…………………......... 131 4.3.5 Differences in preferring heritage applications in Siwan hotels……….......... 133 4.3.6 Similarities and differences between first-time and repeat visitors to Siwa oasis………………………………………………………………………135 4.3.7 Influence of socio-demographic characteristics on experiences