You’re going where? Isn’t that a terrorist country? Be careful. I was warned by many friends before heading out on my tenth trip to Jordan since 1998 and a first-time visit to Syria. The mission was to assess eye-to-eye what is happening in World Heritage Sites in the Middle East from one key country to another, where UNESCO is placing some priority, and reporting where tourism can help.
Being on the World Heritage List provides a country deserved recognition and is a beacon to tourism growth. It comes with a regulated stewardship responsibility. On behalf of UNESCO, we visited “active sites, sites on the “tentative” list and sites on the “endangered and denied” list. We talked with site managers; top seats of governments, trusts and foundations; tourist boards; tour guides; tourist police chiefs; hotel managers; European and Jordanian conservationists; Muslim citizens and Bedouins; many in communities of the Buffer Zones.
With local experts as hosts, we began to see clearly what actions have been taken, what works and what doesn’t, in the quest to “preserve, protect and open the World’s finest sites for the public.” Changes are coming. The social gains from tourism seem far greater than the preservation losses. Both are pressing issues of our time.
In Syria, where the new President is opening doors to the West, visitation is growing at 15-20% per year primarily due to the European market, bringing 400,000 visitors per year which will double soon and exceed 1 million Europeans by 2014. Syria is rated #5 in Top 10 tourism destinations by a recent British publication. Wonderful, unspoiled World Heritage Sites include Old City, Palmyra, Bosra, Crac des Chevaliers and Aleppo.
Tourism is the “oil of Jordan”, the #1 industry of the future, 11% of the GDP creating education and new-found growth. King Abdoullah and Queen Rania are vocal and active in the move towards both economic development, education and national preservation efforts, and the Parliament has moved rapidly to prioritize and strategize “tourism” for years to come. Several new World Heritage sites are undergoing inscription review.
American, European and other tourism leadership with global experience is needed and respected. Randy Durband and I were warmly welcomed. Exciting new plans are unfolding for 2010 and the future, recreating old routes and stories of the past; to an entirely new future. These are exciting times to become involved. For more information, see our website, www.robintauck.com for World Heritage.
