1.1. Background of the Study
Tourism has been identified as an area of Saudi Arabia’s economy that is crucial in order to overcome the country’s dependency on oil production (
Abuhjeeleh 2019). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is working on the country’s modernization, and it has devised Vision 2030 for national development (
Alshuwaikhat and Mohammed 2017). Sustainable tourism development (STD) is one of the highlighted goals of Vision 2030. Tourism has been focused on as an alternative to an oil-based economy because the country has a plethora of tangible and intangible cultural and historical resources, making it an appealing destination for visitors from across the world (
Alshuwaikhat and Mohammed 2017). The country has a very rich history that dates back thousands of years, and its numerous civilizations make it one of the most attractive tourist destinations (
Luz 2020). Very recently, Saudi Arabia opened its borders to tourists across the world, inviting them to experience its rich culture and history. At the same time, the country is the central focus of Muslims as it contains holy cities Makkah and Madinah, and religious tourism remains prevalent throughout the year (
Luz 2020). The KSA has encouraged more active participation in this industry, including participation from women entrepreneurs.
However, the role of women in certain professional areas, including tourism, in Saudi Arabia is not encouraging and is criticized due to the restrictions on women regarding work in many fields. The number of women involved in entrepreneurship and tourism is also still low (
Alasgah and Rizk 2021). However, recently, the KSA decided to provide women with the freedom to run their own businesses, work in organizations, travel alone, and drive their own cars, as women constitute 42.60% of the Saudi population (
Al-Qahtani et al. 2020). The presence of women is critical, from home to corporations. According to
Prowess (
2021) in the Victorian Times, 30% of businesses are controlled by women. As a result of these recent changes, many women are playing significant roles in Saudi Arabia as well. In response to Vision 2030, many women have started to appear in business and have taken the initiative to start their own businesses as entrepreneurs. Realizing that the tourism industry plays a key role in developing the nation into a tourism economy, the KSA has encouraged entrepreneurs involved in this industry, which includes empowering women entrepreneurs. Despite the initiatives from the government, the question that remains unanswered pertains to the fact that fewer women entrepreneurs are involved in the tourism sector. It was reported that only 1.18% of Saudi women are employed in the tourism industry (
Alasgah and Rizk 2021), compared to 54% of women in the tourism sector at the global level (
Valek and Almuhrzi 2021). According to
Iqbal et al. (
2012), this is because religious law pervades every aspect of Saudi Arabia’s society. Moreover, women entrepreneurs’ involvement in tourism (WEIT) is influenced by the policies of the government, education, economy, family values, and social norms. These factors have been also highlighted by previous researchers (
Nieva 2015;
Alhabidi 2013).
Previous studies have highlighted several factors that have contributed to fewer women entrepreneurs being involved in tourism, which has impacted STD.
Wu and Li (
2011) contended that the factors associated with a lessened WEIT could be due to economic, social, and personal attributes (self-efficacy). Researchers have also linked the cognitive factors that constrain WEIT. Moreover, entrepreneurial competence is critical to ensuring involvement in tourism (
Verhees and Meulenberg 2004). The factors that relate to WEIT are also addressed based on the competency approach, behavioral, and attitudinal perspective. This is in line with
Mulder et al. (
2006), who contended that the concept of competence is dynamic and integrated, and it defines how knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behavior are applied in any professional context, including involvement in tourism. Entrepreneurial competencies that encompass personality traits also help individuals to successfully participate in business ventures.
Boley and McGehee (
2014) identified three factors of tourism involvement that impact STD: social empowerment, psychological empowerment, and political empowerment. The literature reveals that the perception of women’s work (PWW), self-efficacy (SE), and empowering leadership (EL) is also linked to tourism involvement and the influence of STD, which previous studies have overlooked (
Abou-Shouk et al. 2021;
Chatterjee et al. 2018;
Elshaer et al. 2021). These factors, according to
Elshaer et al. (
2021), are pertinent to WEIT and STD and should not be ignored. Moreover,
Tsung (
2013) proposed that the connection and involvement of the community or entrepreneurs in tourism can influence STD.
Greg and Derek (
2000) shared the same view, emphasizing that the participation and contribution of the local community and entrepreneurs in tourism help in STD.
Hutchings et al. (
2020) stated that women are still less prevalent in the tourism sector, which could possibly be due to the past restrictions in Saudi Arabia; thus, women are hesitant to enter this sector. Women’s involvement in entrepreneurship is still considered low compared to that of men; they do not earn a significant income due to slow business, they face failure in business, and there is a need to increase the number of women entrepreneurs involved in entrepreneurship (
Vossenberg 2013). However, the literature revealed that women are achieving great work in the tourism industry worldwide (
Knutson and Schmidgall 1999;
Russen et al. 2021). Women are perceived as soft-spoken and understanding in nature, which gives them an edge when dealing with tourism-related activities, which could contribute to female empowerment and improve their economic status (
Abou-Shouk et al. 2021). Moreover, researchers stated that cultural and social aspects significantly influence the female perception of work and empowerment (
Aghazamani et al. 2020). The more women feel empowered, the more they become productive. In Islamic and Arabic countries, there is a misconception that tourism is inconsistent with religious values. Therefore, women face difficulties while working in the tourism sector (
Abou-Shouk et al. 2021). Tourism involvement and social empowerment can help improve the tourism sector and make people feel more connected with the community (
Elshaer et al. 2021). Though women are perceived by employers in Arab countries as less competent than males (
Alrwajfah et al. 2020), in reality, women are more professional and show hospitality when interacting with people (
Kattara 2005;
Mooney and Ryan 2009). The perception of women’s work (PWW) influences their involvement in tourism (
Elshaer et al. 2021). Hence, their presence in the tourism industry cannot be ignored. The link between PWW on tourism involvement in Saudia Arabia is unclear, which warrants further research.
Past literature revealed that self-efficacy (SE) plays a crucial role in determining tourism involvement (
Yoopetch 2020). SE is an important attribute of human behavior. It refers to the individual belief in accomplishing the behavior necessary to achieve a specific performance (
Bandura 1977). Women in the tourism industry attain their objectives as they set before. While handling difficult tasks, women with SE deal better than those without. Further, women in tourism can successfully perform tasks and overcome challenges. In previous literature, it was found that researchers paid less attention to SE’s impact on tourism involvement. Further, few research findings were set in the Saudi Arabia context. Hence, this study attempts to relate SE to tourism involvement. Another such attribute is empowering leadership (EL). Through EL, subordinates believe that their leaders have shared and transferred power, which enables their subordinates to make autonomous choices in their work roles (
Amundsen and Martinsen 2014). EL is significantly related to employees’ engagement with their work (
Huertas-Valdivia et al. 2019). Leaders can encourage women entrepreneurs in the tourism industry to increase their Saudi Arabia tourism sector involvement.
The literature indicated a relationship between psychological empowerment (PE) and tourism involvement. PE occurs when a female feels self-esteem and pride due to tourists’ recognition of the uniqueness of the natural resources and the culture of the community (
Boley and McGehee 2014). This is in line with the social identity theory, which states that when employees become attached to some identity, they start feeling a sense of affiliation, as they start believing in shared value and importance, which positively motivates them and improves their performance (
Scheepers and Ellemers 2019). This phenomenon encourages women to be actively involved in businesses such as tourism. This theory also highlights how social identities affect the attitudes and behavior of individuals when they are part of a group or outgroup. Social identities are influential when individuals feel a strong emotional relationship with the group members. Affiliation with a group grants self-esteem, resulting in sustainability in social identity. The research revealed that PE significantly influences tourism involvement (
Elshaer et al. 2021). Accordingly, tourism involvement can determine sustainable tourism business development in Saudi Arabia.
Elshaer et al. (
2021) opined that tourism involvement is a significant factor in determining STD. Moreover, WEIT plays a crucial role in STD and enhances community value, generating a positive influence on STD (
Scheyvens 2000).
1.2. Problem Statement
Preceding deliberations indicate that the perception of women’s work (PWW), self-efficacy (SE), empowering leadership (EL), and psychological empowerment (PE) is crucial in determining tourism involvement and STD in Saudi Arabia. However, empirically and theoretically, the influence of PWW, SE, EL, and PE on tourism involvement and its impact on STDs in Saudi Arabia remains relatively unexplored. The motivation of this study is to uncover the extent to which PWW, SE, EL, and PE influence WEIT and its impact on STDs in Saudi Arabia. Although empirical research has established the relevance of tourism involvement in STDs, few studies have addressed the factors that affect WEIT, an issue of clear importance to the tourism sector in KSA.
Valeri and Katsoni (
2021) stated that dealing with issues of gender and tourism is uneasy as it is interdisciplinary and requires tools and approaches to cope with them.
Moreover, several concepts, such as cognitive, psychological, and sociological perceptions, have been acknowledged to potentially impact tourism involvement (
Abou-Shouk et al. 2021;
Elshaer et al. 2021;
Chatterjee et al. 2018;
Aghazamani et al. 2020;
Mulder et al. 2006). Nevertheless, the relationship between the concepts is unclear and vaguely identified in the literature. Furthermore, scholars have alluded to more studies to explore the factors that influence tourism involvement and STD, such as government, education, and families’ impact on women’s self-efficacy; values and beliefs; and the entrepreneurial potential of Saudi women (
Basaffar et al. 2018).
Boley and McGehee (
2014) proposed that further research should include the complex attitudes and behavioral aspects of tourism involvement to achieve STD.
This study also extends the research model of
Boley and McGehee (
2014) anchored in social exchange theory and social identity theory by adding SE, EL, tourism involvement, and PWW in entrepreneurship and tourism. Prior researchers ignored these variables, and this study closed the gap in previous studies (
Abou-Shouk et al. 2021;
Chatterjee et al. 2018;
Elshaer et al. 2021). Hence, this study incorporates PWW, SE, EL, PE, tourism involvement, and STD, which prior researchers overlooked. The model developed in this study is new. The extent to which the model significantly impacts the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia is unknown, which makes this study plausible. Therefore, the findings from this study are very useful for decision-makers, as the KSA has emphasized the tourism industry and encouraged more women entrepreneurs to become involved in tourism. The objectives of the study are to examine:
a. The relationship between the perception of women’s work, self-efficacy, empowering leadership, psychological empowerment, and tourism involvement.
b. The relationship between tourism involvement and sustainable tourism development.