Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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is making remarkable progress in ICT readiness and managed to maintain a high level of
security, ranking 38th globally. The prioritization of the tourism industry by government is also
recorded in the fact that it is ranked 22nd. The tourism and travel industry’s direct contribution
to Jordan’s GDP in 2017 was US $2,045.1 million, 5% of total GDP, and is forecast to rise by 8.8%
in 2018 and to continue on an upward trend on an average of 4.9% per annum to $3,584.6
million in 2028, 6.2% of total GDP. The total contribution of the tourism industry to Jordan’s
employment, including jobs created indirectly, in the year 2017, amounted to 213,000 jobs
(19.2% of total). This is expected to rise by 7.6% in 2018 to 229,500 jobs and continue to rise by
3.8% per annum to generate 332,000 jobs in 2028 (22.5% of total).315 A challenge facing the
tourism industry is its poor transport infrastructure, which is reflected in the World Economic
Forum 2017 Competitiveness Index where it ranked 69th in airport transport infrastructure and
79th in ground and port infrastructure. 316
Sustainable Destination Management
Destination Governance
Tourism was not a particularly important sector in Jordan before the 1990s, since the flow of
visitors was rather low due to the conflicts in the area.317 After Oslo’s Peace Treaty between
Palestine and Israel, tourism began to grow notably, gaining importance and contributing
significantly to the GDP. The main body responsible for tourism is the Ministry of Tourism and
Antiquities (MoTA). The tourism department was first established in 1953.318 The organization
responsible for the promotion of Jordan as a competitive tourist destination in the international
market is the Jordan TourismBoard (JTB). The JTBwas founded in 1998 as an independent body
formed by partners from the public and private sectors in an attempt to boost product and
strategy development through collaboration between the two sectors. Its Board of Directors is
made up of 13 members and is headed by the Minister of Tourism as Chairman. The Board
includes nine members from the private sector who represent hotels, tour operators, national
airlines, and tourism transport companies.319 Its strategies aim to promote the country’s tourism
product and market Jordan as an attractive and varied destination, offering cultural, natural,
religious, adventurous, leisure, and MICE activities and attractions. JTB has eleven offices in
Europe and North America through which it executes its marketing strategies. These include
participation in trade fairs, trade workshops, trade and consumer road shows, familiarization
trips, press trips, brochure and multimedia production, and media relations.320 It aims to
position Jordan as a destination of choice and to achieve organizational excellence to maximize
the impact of tourism on the national economy.321
315 World Travel & Tourism Council. (2018). Economic impact 2018 Jordan. Retrieved from
316 World Economic Forum. (2017). The travel & tourism competitiveness report 2017. Retrieved from
317 Alrawadieh, Z. (2010). The Jordanian national tourism system Retrieved from
318 Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (n.d.). Retrieved from
0Antiquities?nameEntity=Ministry%20of%20Tourism%20and%20Antiquities&entityType=ministry.
319 Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (n.d.). Retrieved from
ional+Chart/.
320 UNTWO (n.d.). Jordan tourism board. Retrieved from
organization/7191.
321 Jordan Tourism Board. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from