Prior to departing for my mid-summer travels, I went on an incredible day trip just a 45 minute drive outside of Amman. The day started at 10am with a drive out to Wadi Mujib, a canyon and nature reserve southeast of Amman. Wadi Mujib offers several trails, including a two-hour guided rock-climbing trail, a seven-hour combination adventure trail, and a three-hour waterfall hiking trail. We did the latter, and it was quite an adventure. We had to forge against rapids, often using previously set ropes for support. We climbed up smaller falls along the way and sometimes leaped from one slippery rock to another, hopeful not to slip and fall into the fast-moving rapids below. The hike was challenging and rewarding, both because of the physical struggle and the lovely waterfall greeting us at the end. At several points I thought I would have to quit and head back, but I’m very happy I stuck through it. It’s unlikely I would have made it without the help of the guys who were with me.
After the hike we took a 15-minute drive to the Movenpik hotel resort at the Dead Sea and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon by the infinity pool, a therapeutic dip in the dead sea and a full body natural dead sea mud mask. We ended the day with a drive to the cliffs to watch the sunset before heading back to Amman for a chicken shawarma dinner and a good night’s sleep.
The trip got me thinking about the state of the tourism industry in Jordan. The breadth and depth of tourist attractions in Jordan are quite remarkable, particularly considering how much of the Country is dry dessert land. Wadi Mujib is one of many wadis and not even among the more popular sites in Jordan. The country is full of rich history. However despite recent efforts by the monarchy, Jordan has failed to really capitalize on the potential of a tourism industry here.
After the hike we took a 15-minute drive to the Movenpik hotel resort at the Dead Sea and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon by the infinity pool, a therapeutic dip in the dead sea and a full body natural dead sea mud mask. We ended the day with a drive to the cliffs to watch the sunset before heading back to Amman for a chicken shawarma dinner and a good night’s sleep.
The trip got me thinking about the state of the tourism industry in Jordan. The breadth and depth of tourist attractions in Jordan are quite remarkable, particularly considering how much of the Country is dry dessert land. Wadi Mujib is one of many wadis and not even among the more popular sites in Jordan. The country is full of rich history. However despite recent efforts by the monarchy, Jordan has failed to really capitalize on the potential of a tourism industry here.
The sites are too many to list, but I'll cover all of the main highlights:
Petra is the ancient city of the Nabateans, entirely carved into the mountains, complete with sewege and drainage systems. Petra, well-known to Westerners as the famous setting of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, is one of the new 7 wonders of the world. Carved into beautiful pink rock, this vast hidden city was discovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Petra has something to offer to everyone - an active hike up to the monastary, rock climbing trails for the more adventurous, and horse or donkey rides for the less mobile.
Wadi Rum is a desert full of mountains and hills. It's a popular place to go camping with the bedouins who will make dinner and coffee for you. It's also popular for a variety of sports and rock climbing.
Natural reserves like Wadi Mujib: Dana, Azraq Wetland and Shawmari. However, Wadi Mujib is distinct in being the lowest nature reserve in the world, and also the one with the most adventures to offer.
Roman ruins: Umm Qais is an ancient roman city that boasts a gorgeous view of the Golan Heights. Jerash is another ancient roman city in the North famous for its beautiful old roman architecture. Jerash is also home to the annual Jerash Music and Arts Festival.
Castles: Ajlun - with the famous Islamic Al Rabadh castle, and Karak from the times of Salah Al Din.
Amman itself offers the Roman Theater, various museums, lots of arts, and the dead sea scrolls.
Hamamat Ma'een - hot springs about 30 minutes outside of Amman.
Religious sites: The floor mosaic map of the early Byzantine St. George's Church in Madaba; Mt. Nebo where Moses was said to have viewed the promised land; and the Jordan River where Jesus Christ was babptised by John the Baptist.
Water: The Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, has been developed with beautiful resorts. And Aqaba, at the Red Sea, has gorgeous coral reefs that are the best I've seen for snorkling and diving.
I'm very lucky to have done everything on the list above except for Wadi Rum, Karak and some of the museums. Though I did most of it nine years ago when I studied Arabic in Jordan for a summer.
The monarchy is making a concerted effort to promote Jordan as a tourist destination. King Abdallah even created a promotional video of himself braving the Wadi Mujib trails! Places like the Dead Sea, Maeen Hot Springs and the Red Sea are much more developed than when I last visited 9 years ago.
Additionally, some interesting entrepreneurs have decided to leverage Jordan's natural sites in building their companies. For example, one of the companies incubated at the El-Hassan Science City provides electronic tour guides of many of the sites in over 20 languages. As another example, Endeavor Jordan recently met with a company that offers corporate retreats and team building programs. The company holds its programs all over the country at some of the sites mentioned above. It is also building for itself an adventure tourism niche, as it charts brand new adventure courses in previously uncharted territory!
I'm not sure why Jordan's tourism industry hasn't boomed. At this point, I view Jordan as a true diamond in the rough in terms of a tourist destination. Perhaps people are afraid of the region (though I find it incredibly safe here). Perhaps the government needs to step up its promotion efforts even further. Perhaps its up to the private sector to advertise all that Jordan has to offer. Either way, I think Jordan will be one of the next up and coming tourist destinations.
I'm very lucky to have done everything on the list above except for Wadi Rum, Karak and some of the museums. Though I did most of it nine years ago when I studied Arabic in Jordan for a summer.
The monarchy is making a concerted effort to promote Jordan as a tourist destination. King Abdallah even created a promotional video of himself braving the Wadi Mujib trails! Places like the Dead Sea, Maeen Hot Springs and the Red Sea are much more developed than when I last visited 9 years ago.
Additionally, some interesting entrepreneurs have decided to leverage Jordan's natural sites in building their companies. For example, one of the companies incubated at the El-Hassan Science City provides electronic tour guides of many of the sites in over 20 languages. As another example, Endeavor Jordan recently met with a company that offers corporate retreats and team building programs. The company holds its programs all over the country at some of the sites mentioned above. It is also building for itself an adventure tourism niche, as it charts brand new adventure courses in previously uncharted territory!
I'm not sure why Jordan's tourism industry hasn't boomed. At this point, I view Jordan as a true diamond in the rough in terms of a tourist destination. Perhaps people are afraid of the region (though I find it incredibly safe here). Perhaps the government needs to step up its promotion efforts even further. Perhaps its up to the private sector to advertise all that Jordan has to offer. Either way, I think Jordan will be one of the next up and coming tourist destinations.
No comments:
Post a Comment