Foreign Workers Employment in the Hotel Industry: Evidence from Five-Star Hotels in Antalya

The purpose of this research is to reveal the reasons that prompt hotel managers to employ foreign workers. In this study which used qualitative research method, the managers of 18 five-star hotels operating in Antalya were selected as the sample. Opinions of the managers were collected through semi-structured interview forms via making face-to-face interviews and e-mails. According to prominent findings of the research; it was determined that the most employed foreign workers in hotels within the scope of the sample consisted of “Kyrgyz”, “Ukrainian” and “Russians”, and that the majority of foreign workers served at the “food and beverage department” in the hotels and were employed as “seasonal”. On the other hand, it was determined that the most important reason for the hotel managers to employ foreign workers was that they know “foreign languages”. However; hotel managers indicated “long bureaucratic procedures in the process of obtaining a work permit” as the main problem they face during the process of employing foreign workers.