Jordan Times
Sunday, October 18, 1998
Queen receives World Monument Fund Award
AMMAN (J.T.) — Her Majesty Queen Noor delivered the keynote address
Friday at the 68th Annual World Travel Congress of the American Society of Travel Agents
(ASTA) in Los Angeles, where she received the World Monument Fund Award for Petra,
according to a press release Saturday.
The fund is a global programme created in 1995 that seeks to identify threatened cultural
landmarks throughout the world, with a comprehensive approach towards preserving and
protecting them. The World Monuments Fund was created in part by a $5 million donation
from the American Express Company to provide financial assistance to selected sites on the
List of 100 Most Endangered Sites, the statement said.
In her address, Queen Noor noted that for tourism “to most effectively foster
sustained development for the well-being of present and future generations... we must
ensure that its economic gains are shared fairly by all concerned — in particular, by
the local communities who are the custodians of the natural environment, the guardians of
these precious historic sites, mankind's common cultural heritage.”
She added that Jordan is implementing a series of protective measures to ensure that its
archaeological sites, such as Petra, are not irreparably damaged by increasing pressures
from tourist flows and that the local residents are involved in preservation and
development planning, which she said will also guarantee an improved quality of life.
The emerging concept of eco-tourism, according to the Queen, has been “invaluable to
both the environment and the population of our region.”
She added that sustainable eco-tourism can also be combined with the emerging trend of
“adventure tourism.” The Queen noted that Wadi Rum is now acknowledged as one of
the world's foremost desert climbing areas. “The interaction of thousands of tourists
with the local bedouin population has been mutually enriching and has enabled our visitors
to take home marvellous memories in this place that T.E. Lawrence once called `Rum the
magnificent',” said the Queen.
Queen Noor warned that for the benefits of tourism to be fully realised, it is crucial
that “we achieve comprehensive regional peace.” Peace and stability, according
to the Queen, are prerequisites for a tourism industry that can enhance economic growth
and further reinforce stability. She noted that as a result of progress towards peace in
the mid-1990s, the Middle East in general experienced unprecedented growth in tourism, but
when it began to stall, tourism also suffered.
In his remarks, American Express President Steve Alesio said his company has “added
Jordan to its Eastern Mediterranean tour offerings.” Alesio noted that Queen Noor
“has dedicated herself to a wide range of programmes that are focused primarily on
the conservation of archaeological and natural heritage, the empowerment of women and the
promotion of peace through democracy, education and economic development.”
Founded in 1931, ASTA has 27,000 members in more than 170 countries, including Jordan.
According to the Minister of Tourism Akel Biltaji, the Queen's participation this year has
given “Jordan unprecedented coverage and exposure at a meeting of the world's
largest, most prestigious association of travel professionals.”
Biltaji, Jordanian Ambassador to the U.S. Marwan Muasher, Royal Jordanian President Nader
Dahabi and members of the Jordan Tourism Board attended the ASTA convention with the
Queen.
Also Friday, Queen Noor received the “first Special Commendation for Humanitarian
Service Award” from the American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) “for
bringing public awareness to landmine eradication and for her achievements and efforts in
the advocacy, promotion and progression of women.”
The Queen said that in Jordan, women in the media have been “the most courageous in
tackling controversial [and] sensitive social issues and are making a big difference and a
significant contribution to our society.”
According to AWRT President Sandra Dorsey, Queen Noor is “the first international and
Arab figure we have honoured since our founding in 1951.”
AWRT, which is based in Washington, was established “to advance the status of women
by educating, advocating, and acting as a resource to other women.”
Muasher attended the meeting with the Queen.