Tourist sites management

This August 14, I visited my son, a doctor working for a hospital in Paderborn, Germany. 

On a weekend we visited the Hercules Monument in Kassel, which was listed on the UNESCO Heritage List in 2013.

We did not have much idea about the site, except that it is a park with a monument. However, upon arrivals we observed a very large car park; an information centre; a restaurant with rest rooms; a shuttle bus accessing two places in the park; and a site plane that shows places and trails in the park and that is distributed at several spots at the site itself.

This is an example of the way the German tourism authorities are promoting such areas both to locals and to foreign visitors.

I believe if more attention were given to local tourism, it would benefit Jordan more than foreign tourists. 

The park in Kassel is a destination for visitors from all over Germany. The site is full of signage, has all the facilities visitors may need and is very clean.

I did not see a single plastic bag thrown around. Visitors care to keep the site sustainable. 

The site is a joint venture between government institution and private companies.

Jordan is very rich in natural and historical sites, and Ajloun, with its forest, and the Citadel are two such examples.

I believe the private sector should be an important partner in upgrading our historical and natural sites for the purpose of tourism.

Moreover, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities should be split into two ministries, tourism and antiquities, due to the fact that caring for antiquities in Jordan receives less financial government support than tourism.

Many of our archaeological sites are threatened with demolition.

During this unhappy political situation our region witnesses, more focus should be put on local tourism.

Moreover, the private sector should be encouraged to get more involved and be a partner in all tourism aspects in the country.

Zeidan Kafafi,
Department of Archaeology,
Yarmouk University,
Irbid