No, Wiseman
The 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty that officially ended hostilities was a peace dividend for tourism. It stipulated that Jordan and Israel would jointly market themselves as joint tourist destinations (only) in the United States.
I was there when it was announced with great fanfare at the 1994 ASTA World Congress in Lisbon.
Previously, there was no Jordan tourism office in the United States. In fact, there was no Jordan Tourism Board anywhere, let alone in Jordan.
The kingdom hired Malia Asfour, who at the time worked for Jordan’s intelligence service in Washington, to open a tourism office. The Jordan Tourism Authority of North America (JTBNA), funded by the Government of Jordan and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was established in early 1997.
Asfour, who holds a master’s degree in international marketing management, still heads the office. The United States is Jordan’s largest source market, and she and her team have been instrumental in growing global visits from just over 1 million in 1995 to 4.28 million in 2022 (the most recent year for which figures are available). Importantly, over the same period, JTBNA increased the average length of stay for North American visitors from two nights to more than eight nights. Tourism accounts for approximately 12% of Jordan’s GDP. It is the second most important contributor to the economy.
To say that Jordan is exceeding its weight as America’s tourism marketing organization would be a gross understatement. Asfour is everywhere. She is the immediate past president of Tourism Cares, a board member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, and is very active in USTOA. JTBNA works closely with Virtuoso, Signature and Travel Leaders for preferred destinations.
Most of her spending goes towards trading. She regularly travels the country attracting industry groups and media, and Jordan recently received 700 delegates to GX Jordan, a gathering of G Adventures employees, partners, travel advisors and media.
However, on October 7th, I was informed that the office would be closed until November 30th.
There is no doubt that the Israel-Hamas war and USAID cuts have had a negative impact on both promotional funding and tourism to the country. It would not be unexpected to see funding for the office cut until Gaza disappears from the headlines. But permanently closing offices in the largest source market in the second-largest economic sector is crazy.
Given that funding for Brand USA is down 80% this year, it seems like we can’t point fingers at the US. That too was madness.
These crazy decisions have another similarity. Cuts are looming despite the real opportunities associated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in North America and Jordan’s participation will be leveraged into a three-part marketing plan that includes Petra activation on the gateway city’s pitch. co-branded partnerships with Royal Jordanian, Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt; Collaboration with media and influencers in the host city.
The office closures come despite Royal Jordanian announcing plans to expand routes to Washington Dulles, Dallas-Fort Worth and Seattle over the next three years.
The Jordan National Tourism Board, which still exists, is soliciting RFPs from public relations firms to maintain a presence in North America. For some destinations, we can see what this could mean economically. But the difference in this case is that the institutional knowledge and significant goodwill built by Asfour and JTBNA, an important source of reputational capital, is being given up.
It is even more puzzling that Jordan took this step so soon after an agreement was reached to cease hostilities between Israel and Hamas, but the agreement has proven to be somewhat shaky.
The real victims of this foolishness are the citizens of Jordan. I’m not just talking about traditional tourism workers in hotels or businesses near Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum and other major tourist attractions. Those people will undoubtedly face serious challenges, but there is another level of pain that can be felt.
Asfour proposed an initiative called The Meaningful Map of Jordan to Tourism Cares. We identified local social enterprises that could be attractive to visitors but are not located near existing tourist attractions and added them to the map. These included women-run restaurants, refugee craft centers, ecolodges, transnational Jordan trail stops, and other community-based businesses.
The program has been a huge success, thanks in part to tour operators adding stops at these locations. Bani Hamida, a women’s rug weaving cooperative, had 17 employees when it was added to the founding map in 2018. It currently employs 315 people, with a further 1,800 women employed in businesses that support the co-operative in the surrounding community.
Jordan’s Meaningful Maps were so successful that Tourism Cares has now replicated the plan in 45 other destinations.
I heard that the decision to close JTBNA has been finalized. Tourism in Jordan has always faced challenges and has few problems of its own. But this is 100% self-harm.
