No, Wiseman
We live in anxious times. Presidential candidates from both existing political parties predict an apocalyptic outcome if they both lose. There are two wars going on that are causing anxiety among Americans, often for diametrically opposed reasons. Anxiety is particularly high among our young people, where fascination with and addiction to social media is a major cause of anxiety.
Call me a speciesist. But I think it's fair to call “climate change” a “climate crisis.”
The pandemic and subsequent travel boom have been attributed to pent-up demand or revenge travel, but I think we've moved to a stage where tourism is seen as one of the few activities that will keep us out for a while. world problems. The escapist nature of the holiday became a kind of long-term relief from the deafening discord caused by worrying events.
So, given all this, could I sell you on a trip to the Middle East?
Travel to Israel is still well below normal levels but has rebounded somewhat thanks to 'solidarity tourism'. But for those who are not traveling to support one side or the other in the Gaza war but are actually looking for the benefits of travel in the most traditional sense, now is the time to visit Jordan.
As has happened in several countries, being adjacent to a problem area can completely ruin the tourism economy for a while. This is the current situation in Jordan.
So, to demonstrate stability, the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) partnered with Tourism Cares and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) to invite small groups to visit in February. When they returned, I was asked to conduct a webinar to discuss what the group had experienced.
ATTA CEO Shannon Stowell admitted she felt scared before going, although not for the reasons you might expect. “We have not forgotten that our government has taken steps that could cause outrage in the region,” he said. He worried about how he would be perceived as an American.
What he discovered was that the people of Jordan were “unbelievably warm and friendly. I was convinced that this was the right time to be there.”
Petra, Jordan's most famous landmark, was “not empty, but almost empty,” he said. For one reason or another, he added later in the conversation, “I have to go now. Now is the time.”
“Honestly, you wouldn't know there was a war going on 150 kilometers away. There wouldn't be any heavy police or military presence. It's a great example of how relative distance is,” said Bruce Parkinson, senior editor at TravelPulse Canada. . “
Attorney Chunnie Wright said she went after doing her due diligence on the safety of the trip. Her research highlighted “the importance of operating from a place of fact rather than a place of fear.” Her fellow ATTA board member Kimberly Daley said she felt safer in Jordan than at home in Los Angeles.
Six years ago, Tourism Cares CEO Greg Takehara's organization worked with JTB to create a “Meaningful Map” that highlights local social enterprises that are attractive to visitors and provide income for residents. Among them are plans that benefit refugees and orphans who have come of age at significant social disadvantage.
The map had an impact. JTB believes that group travel times have increased by an average of one day thanks to the development of the map. On a recent visit, Takehara visited groups already on the map to see how they were doing and stopped by potential candidates to add to the map.
And freelance journalist Yulia Denisyuk, speaking of her encounters with members of the Bedouin community and her experiences in Wadi Rum, may have spoken directly to the ways in which travel is an antidote to times of unrest. She said traveling to Jordan now was “a beautiful way for all of us to increase our collective understanding of each other, which is so important right now.”
At this year's South by Southwest festival, in addition to moderating a panel on community-based tourism, I also hosted other sessions, including one with comedian Conan O'Brien talking about Max's upcoming travel series “Conan O'Brien Must Go” attended. .” Most of the remarks were humorous, but towards the end they became more serious. “The best thing about traveling is becoming a different person. When you change your surroundings, you completely break away and become a different person. Going somewhere else… beautiful thing.”
of course. The type of escape from worldly concerns that comes through travel can take many forms, from pure escape and relaxation to, as O'Brien suggests, renewal through exposure to other cultures. In many ways, Jordanian culture has been shaped by the difficult neighborhoods in which it lives. Beyond our uneasy divisions, Americans can benefit by exposing the balance and stability Jordanians expect.
