Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing body of research on how entrepreneurial activities can help the economic development of rural areas by decreasing poverty, creating employment opportunities and income and improving the overall quality of life for the people of that area. However, there is a paucity of research on rural entrepreneurship in developing contexts (Pato and Teixeira, 2016), particularly that of the Middle East. The paper presents an exploratory study on the indigenous Bedouin tribes of Petra/Wadi Mousa in Jordan who manage their livelihoods through small businesses that predominantly cater to foreign tourists visiting the archaeological wonder. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to profile 73 rural entrepreneurs and to ascertain their motives for starting a business and the challenges they face. The majority of rural entrepreneurs were male, under the age of 40 and owned a souvenir business. Most were necessity entrepreneurs, whose major challenge were financial issues, coupled with a lack of governmental support and bad tourism policies. The paper concludes by providing recommendations to the authorities on how to promote entrepreneurship as a way of economic development within rural areas, particularly those who have tourism potential and as a way of securing livelihoods for indigenous groups like the Bedouins of Petra, who have given up their nomadic past and need a sustainable source of income.