Letter from Jordan
By David Cogswell
Published on: February 13, 2008
There is tremendous energy and possibility crackling in the air this week at the first Jordan Travel Mart at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center on the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan. At 1,400 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. From this conference, however, Jordan is on the verge of achieving new heights in its tourism fortunes. There also is a higher purpose to this tourism beyond a purely economic dimension.
As the Middle East ultimately emerges from a long period of war and turmoil, tourism will be crucial to its economic development and prosperity. And Jordan, with its centrality to the region, its peaceful neutrality, good relations with all of its neighbors and its moderate, progressive nature, should emerge as an inevitable center for travel in the future.
Even as Americans have been preoccupied with the war Iraq, they also have developed a new awareness of the Middle East and its inevitable and irrevocable ties with the West. While past wars and terrorism have tended to paralyze the travel industry, the Iraq war led Americans to quickly develop an impassioned interest in the region. It was as if the population woke from a daydream and suddenly wanted to find out more about these countries and their people. No matter what your opinion about the Iraq war, one reality is universally shared -- the days of American isolation from the Middle East are over, if they ever really existed.
Tour operators at the Jordan Travel Mart told me that early in the five-year war in Iraq they were seeing a surprisingly powerful and growing wave of interest in the Middle East. Instead of cowering in fear and returning to the false security of their TV screens, Americans were shaken into an intense curiosity about this region that had suddenly become so close to them.
With its newly established Travel Mart, Jordan is poised give to offer a new channel for peaceful economic and cultural exchange between the U.S. and the Middle East through tourism. Here are some relevant numbers behind the glow of this conference. Tourism represents 14.4 percent of Jordan's GDP and is the second highest producing sector of the economy after remittances from Jordanians working overseas. It also employs 11 percent of the workforce. The United States also is Jordan's largest inbound market beyond regional Arab tourism.
Jordan's government is putting its full weight behind tourism as the country's best hope for economic development. The progressive young king and queen have been powerful ambassadors with high-profile visits to the U.S. to help create a cultural bridge and to show Americans the modern character of Jordan. "His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania A-Abdullah are doing a great job giving a comforting impression to Americans that we are a very moderate country that everyone can feel comfortable visiting," said Minister of Tourism and Antiquities H. E. Maha Khatib. In 2004, the government launched a National Tourism Strategy to double tourism receipts by 2010 – and it surpassed its target last year.
It was in this context that Malia Asfour, director of the Jordan Tourism Board North America, worked for three years to put together this conference, which is intended to create a platform to grow the market over the coming years. The conference targets all of the Americas and has prominent representation from Canada and Latin America, especially Brazil. It has succeeded in attracting more than 100 tour operators, who met with 50-plus Jordanian hotels, ground operators and attractions in tightly structured 25-minute appointments.
The event is showcasing the country in terms of not just its strong card of historical and archeological attractions -- including the recently named Wonder of the World, the Lost City of Petra -- but also cultural, religious and adventure travel, ecotourism and voluntourism. Incidentally, Performance Media Group, parent of ModernAgent.com, is one of the sponsors of this event.
The excitement of the synergy of these cultures and economies meeting at this focal point in the Middle East at this moment in history is hard to convey. Perhaps no incident better portrays its unpredictable freshness than the image of Jordan's venerable Senator Akel Biltaji, the former minister of tourism and antiquities, asking the crowd in the opening speech at the Travel Mart to join him in singing a chorus of Rogers and Hammerstein's "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" -- and actually succeeding in getting the audience to break into song, not just for one chorus but two.
David Cogswell
Executive Editor-Tours & Packages
Performance Media Group
http://www.performancemediallc.com/
Features news, stories, and insight regarding the $18 billion and 300 million traveler worldwide faith-based vacations, cruise, and hospitality market.
About Me
- kevinjwright
- Kevin J. Wright is one of the world's most recognized religious travel and hospitality authorities. He founded and served as President of the World Religious Travel Association, the leading organization dedicated to the 300 million traveler faith tourism industry. He also served as Chairman of the World Religious Travel Expo, drawing more than 30 countries from around the world. Wright has been interviewed by the CBS Early Show, TIME Magazine, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR), National Geographic, Forbes Traveler, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and dozens of other media outlets. He is the author of four travel guidebooks.
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