REVIVING THE ROLES OF MAKKAH RESIDENTS IN PROVIDING HOSPITALITY

Abstract

In the history, the roles of Makkah Residents during Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage was central and significant, which is almost replaced by private agencies now. The Makkah residents have played a significant role in hosting Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. There is an urgency to recognize direct participation of the people of Makkah in serving the pilgrims. This is to allow the people of Makkah to obtain more financial and spiritual benefits. However, the emergence of organized contemporary hospitality, influenced by private sectors, has brought about steady decline in the residents’ role over the years; significantly affecting the socioeconomic interaction that both residents and pilgrims have benefitted in the past. Therefore, the aim of this study is to enhance hospitality services by bringing back the previous roles of Makkah residents. By utilizing Means-End Chain (MEC) research model, preferred roles of Makkah Residents, and the determining motivational values have been identified. The most preferred roles include Teaching, Providing Subsistence, Guiding, Providing Accommodation and Health Services. These roles are mostly determined by Religion, Hedonism and Security. The findings are useful in the development of a new model of hospitality that allows direct participation of the residents.