TOURISTS AND LOCAL COMMUNITY OF THE CASE STUDY AQABA SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE AUTHORITY (ASEZA)

Abstract

The research aims to examine the shared effect of tourism in Aqaba and the Jordanian host culture. Despite the presence of preferences and developments in tourism opportunities and problems, despite the fact that these circumstances are marked by, uncertainty, and personal shifts, the local community's behaviour and attitudes towards the tourism industry are highly dependent on them. A questionnaire was circulated to a group of (1200) people living in Aqaba to accomplish this goal. From 1/1/2019 until 30/12/2019, the allocation and restitution took one year, taking into account the low and high tourism seasons. In order to assess the most important facets of the socio-cultural and economic impacts of tourism in these regions, the questionnaire was circulated to the survey participants in order to measure attitudes towards tourism. This analysis is an exploratory, empirical study that follows the process of obtaining and reviewing knowledge to draw conclusions. To assess the degree of significance for the study questions, the researchers used the arithmetic mean, standard deviation, T-test and ANOVA test. The findings revealed that the economic sub-scale was the highest degree of attitudes towards tourism, while the lowest was the social sub-scale. This research provides a better understanding of the social and cultural effects of tourism and the host culture in Jordan, in order to establish a holistic growth of sustainable tourism in Aqaba. It is possible to submit and further test the new model at another destination in Jordan.

Keywords

• attitude
• host community
• mutual impact
• aqaba special economic zone authority (aseza)