Ecotourism as innovative product: the Jordan experience

For most travelers, Jordan’s image is still branded by the historical sites of Petra and Jerash; and to a lesser extent by the desert landscape of Wadi Rum. These have been the mainstay of its tourism industry for decades. ... [ view full abstract ]

For most travelers, Jordan’s image is still branded by the historical sites of Petra and Jerash; and to a lesser extent by the desert landscape of Wadi Rum. These have been the mainstay of its tourism industry for decades. But Jordan is now trying to diversify its tourism base within the framework of the National Tourism Strategy, and eco-tourism is beginning to play a significant role in creating new attractions for visitors.

The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), a long established Jordanian NGO, has been developing tourism ventures in its desert parks for over twelve years as a means of generating revenue, community benefits and awareness to support its conservation goals. Its first venture was in the spectacular Dana Nature Reserve, at the edge of the Jordan Rift valley, where an array of eco-tourism facilities and activities were developed that now attract over 35,000 visitors a year and provide enough revenue to cover most of the Reserve's running costs. Dana is widely considered as a regional model of sustainable biodiversity conservation and the RSCN has been applying 'Dana principles' to all its protected areas.