Jordan Times
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
USAID supports Third Tourism
Project
AMMAN (JT) - The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Tuesday announced the
signing of a memorandum of understanding with the USAID/ Jordan Tourism
Development Project (Siyaha) for expanded support in implementation of the Third
Tourism Development Project. The $70 million project, financed by the government
and the World Bank, seeks to upgrade five historical (tourism) districts around
the country in partnership with the local municipalities in Madaba, Salt, Jerash,
Ajloun and Karak, according to a Siyaha statement.
“In addition to enhancements in infrastructure in those cities, part of the
investment will be directed towards grants to local businesses, an area in which
USAID/Siyaha will assist us,” said Ihab Ammarin, director of the ministry’s
technical department directorate, which is responsible for managing the project
in partnership with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing.
USAID/Siyaha will assist the project in the design of its $1 million local
economic development component, which will target CBOs and NGOs in the five
cities, as well as providing assistance for the project’s public awareness
aspects.
“USAID is pleased to provide the Jordanian government with the needed support to
ensure investment in the target cities is matched with investment in people and
business,” said USAID Jordan Mission Director Jay Knott, citing that USAID/Siyaha’s
efforts in Madaba have resulted in mobilising more than $2 million in private
sector investment in hotels, restaurants, crafts and tourism services in the
city.
The ministry noted that USAID/Siyaha has implemented a variety of successful
initiatives, most notably in Madaba, which the project wishes to emulate in the
other cities, according to the statement.
“The cities will undergo major physical and regulatory changes, which must be
embraced by the local communities whose lives are likely to be disrupted during
the construction and implementation period. In the long term, they will feel the
economic and social benefits of the project,” Minister of Tourism and
Antiquities Osama Dabbas said.
Madaba, seen as the pilot project, has seen particularly close cooperation
between the ministry and USAID/Siyaha.
The Madaba visitor centre, mosaic school, vocational training centre,
Archaeological Park and Church of the Map are all undergoing development to
complement the physical upgrade that the project will bring.
Construction for this will begin early next year, the statement said, adding
that detailed designs for the projects are complete and various construction
packages are due to be awarded this quarter for all five cities.
The Third Tourism Development Project aims to contribute to tourism development
in the five key historically and culturally important cities, creating
conditions for local economic development.
Its main components include physical and economic revitalisation of historic
cores, preservation and regeneration of cultural landscape, and in Ajloun,
natural landscape, and improving urban management, financial capacity, and
financial autonomy of the five municipalities, according to the statement.
Construction is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2008.
The Third Tourism Development Project follows the first and second tourism
projects which focused on Petra, Karak and Wadi Rum in early 2000. These
projects provided needed infrastructure to support tourism, which is now over a
JD1 billion industry - the largest in Jordan - that supports 10 per cent of the
Kingdom’s employment.
“We truly believe that tourism is the number one growth industry in Jordan,
which can have a substantial impact on the quality of life of its citizens, not
only in the capital and large cities, but also in the other governorates that
desperately need job and income creation,” concluded Dabbas.