About

Summary 

The overarching objective of the Jordan Sustainable Tourism Programme 2021-25 is to support the Jordanian tourism sector to operate in a more sustainable and responsible manner.

To deliver this objective, we are supporting local partners to work towards this common goal, encouraging collaboration between the public and private sector. The Programme’s private sector partners, the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) and Jordan Inbound Tour Operator Association (JITOA) and the leading regional authority Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), are being facilitated to take a consistent approach to managing and promoting the sector based on sustainable tourism best practice. This also includes working with the Jordan Trail Association (JTA) and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) to establish nationally accepted guidelines for community-based tourism.

Our Approach 

The focus of the activites undertaken during the first two year's of the programme includes:​​​​​​

• Increased cooperation between the public and private sector on the topic of product development and sustainability standards.
• Finding a local partner to lead on establishing a community of practice for sustainable and community tourism, to enable the exchange of best practices and lead the way for national standards, new products and initiatives.
• Driving the understanding and use of sustainable tourism certification at regional and national level, both for destination managers and private sector buseinsses.
• Building on the success of the RSCN Azraq Nature Reserve’s Green Destinations Top 100 Award in 2023, to motivate other destinations to start their journey towards sustainability.
• Involving RSCN in actions related to community tourism and develop an ecotourism tour, linked to Travelife tour operators.

Outcome 

The project is ongoing, outcomes so far include:

• Successfully supporting the managers of RSCN's Azraq Wetland Reserve to win first place in the Nature & Scenery category of the Green Destinations Top 100 Best Practices Stories 2022
• Mentoring Aqaba's Sustainable Tourism Coordinator to submit Aqaba's application to for the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2023 and be shortlisted for an award in the Environment and Climate category.   
• Delivering research, capacity building and training for JTB to develop an understanding of sustainable tourism certification schemes that would be most suitable for the NTB to promote and support their stakeholders to become certified.
• Capacity building and training for Tourism Directorate of ASEZA to deliver sustainable tourism destination management
• Mentoring female managers to be Sustainable Tourism Coordinators and work towards the Green Destinations certification programme.
• Develop MSME tourism business understanding  of the niche market demand and sustainability expectations of the European market.
• Collaborating with Jordanian sustainable tourism consultants and Travelife auditors to support MSME tourism businesses to develop their circular economy practices.