Amman: Experts have stressed the importance of a project to develop tourism, environmental, and historical sites in eastern Jordan, aimed at strengthening the region's presence on the national tourism map. Speaking to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), they said the project would provide visitors and tourists with a distinctive experience while involving local communities as key partners and direct beneficiaries of the tourism projects.
According to Jordan News Agency, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan on Saturday directed the launch of a project to develop tourism, environmental, and historical sites in eastern Jordan during an inspection visit to the Blessed Tree (Sahabi Tree, or the Tree of al-Buqayawiyya) site in Safawi. This initiative aims to strengthen the region's presence on the national tourism map. Hassan also directed the restoration of the Northern Al Azraq oasis wetlands by creating four new ponds modeled on the original oases, restocking them with native fish species, establishing an environmental camp to be managed by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), and developing an eco-park for residents of Azraq as well as tourists and visitors.
He also ordered the restoration of the palm forest near Azraq Castle and its connection to the water oasis, following the Cabinet's approval to expand the Azraq environmental reserve. Some 1,200 palm trees have already been planted. RSCN Director General Fadi Al-Nasser said the project represents the essence of sustainable ecotourism by combining environmental conservation with a distinctive experience for visitors and tourists while involving the local community as a key partner and direct beneficiary of the tourism projects.
Al-Nasser highlighted the significance of the prime minister's visit, emphasizing its role in supporting the development of ecotourism projects and strengthening their economic and social dimensions. He said the RSCN was currently implementing a package of diverse projects based on integration and networking among them, with the aim of creating an integrated tourism product that would encourage visitors to extend their stays.
These efforts, he added, seek to stimulate both domestic and international tourism, benefiting local residents directly and indirectly by integrating various economic sectors. Shops, restaurants, and other service activities are expected to benefit from the projects, he said. Al-Nasser said the tourism projects were being linked to several key sites, including Azraq Castle, Azraq Wetland Reserve, and Shaumari Wildlife Reserve, as well as other environmental sites.
The initiative also includes the development of new tourism programs featuring camping and stargazing, which he said would enrich visitors' experiences and enhance the area's appeal. Osama Hassan, director of the Azraq Tourism Development Project and head of the RSCN's Tourism Facilities Development Department, said the prime minister's visit was aimed at reviewing progress on the tourism development project, which the RSCN had been tasked with implementing and operating.
He said the project included rehabilitating the Northern Azraq oases, which had dried up since the 1970s, in an effort to restore the area's environmental dimension and link it to its tourism and social development dimensions. Four water bodies have been established on land adjacent to the project as part of the expansion designated for the Azraq Wetland Reserve, Hassan said.
The project will serve as a major hub for launching tourism activities in Azraq by connecting it with the nature reserves managed by the RSCN and various tourism sites in the area, in addition to providing an eco-park serving residents of Azraq and neighboring areas, he added. Hassan said the project also includes a visitor center and facilities for displaying and selling local products, as well as an environmental park that will provide a recreational space for local residents and an attraction for visitors from across Jordan.
The park will also cater to tourists visiting archaeological sites, foremost among them Azraq Castle, he said. As part of the project, Hassan said work was underway to rehabilitate the palm forest historically associated with the area's ancient oases. About 1,200 palm trees have been planted on the project site, alongside the construction of tourism and recreational trails designed to accommodate visitors and organize their movement within the site.