Assessing the impact of religious issues on Omanis employment in the hotel sector

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Tourism Department, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman

2 Assistant Professor, Tourism Department, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman Associate Professor, Hotel Studies Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, University of Sadat City, Egypt

Abstract

The Sultanate of Oman lies on the South-eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea and has borders with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Arabic is the official language, Islam is the official religion.
Tourism development has been given special attention by the Sultanate of Oman’s government aspiring to that the industry would assist in executing the Omanisation Policy, create direct job opportunities to boost the economy.
This study aims to assess the impact of religious issues on Omanis employment in the hotel sector.
The religious issues have serious impacts on Omanis employment in the hotel sector. Some employees are concerned about the source of income because the hotel business may entail serving alcohol, i.e. their source of income would be questionable religion wise. For females, the designated job uniform and the interaction with males are also major concerns. It is concluded that, at the highest levels, the Omanisation Policy is promoted, yet there exists a friction between religious conventions and perceptions of what the industry stands for.

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