Jordan tourism insights emerge at a decisive moment, where the country brings together the breadth of history and a contemporary ability to welcome with tact, quality and vision.
Odissey encounters Jordan at a decisive moment: a country that unites the long breath of history with the ability to welcome today with tact, quality, and vision. We want to cross Petra at dusk and then stop where the sand of Wadi Rum becomes silent; to search in the stones of Jerash for the echo of a living city; to descend toward the Dead Sea with the awareness of those who know that nature must be listened to and protected.
We are interested in understanding how heritage translates into concrete hospitality, how communities are part of the value chain, and how digital innovation makes it easier to come into contact with places and people. And, at the same time, to understand how the destination is preparing to transform the hope for regional balance into opportunities for conscious and safe travel.
More than a list of “things to see,” we seek the conditions for experiences that remain: gestures, scents, music, stories. Jordan, when it speaks to you, does so with a steady and gentle voice.
Jordan Today: A Destination Between History and Vision
Questions to Marco Biazzetti (Country Manager of the Jordan Tourism Board in Italy)
When we say “Jordan,” which image would you like to resonate first in the heart of the Italian traveler?
A: “It is an experience that leaves something behind, a very positive and enriching impact, like a dream that comes true, not just a memory.”
If you had to choose three snapshots, one urban, one natural, one human, what would they be, and above all, what do they reveal about your identity today?
A: “More than through Jordan’s famous attractions, whatever they may be, the true identity of Jordan lies in its diversity from all other Middle Eastern countries, with its peaceful and hospitable population that always stands in the sunlight, because everything that happens in Jordan happens in the open, never otherwise. People are ready to welcome visitors with a smile, proud of their past and present. It is a journey to be taken with them, not in solitude.”
Beyond the icons. From the archaeological discoveries of recent months to the mosaic workshops in Madaba, from the souks of Amman to the star-filled skies of Wadi Rum: how are you transforming these micro-experiences into shared value, so that every encounter brings income to communities and living memory to the traveler?
A: “The creation of the Jordan Trail, the route that goes from Umm Qays to Aqaba, or of the Jordan Bike Trail, which traverses it by bicycle, passing through 72 villages in Jordan to generate economic opportunities for local communities through tourism, is a strong signal aimed at raising awareness not only of the country’s geographical diversity, but also of its people, their humanity, and the possibility of sharing, from north to south, the gastronomy and hospitality of the Hashemite Kingdom. It is the encounters and the empathy they generate that remain imprinted in the visitor’s memory. In their journey, so that each person becomes an ambassador of the experience lived. The encounter with Petra and the magnificent landscape of Wadi Rum, along with Jordan’s biblical and Holy Land history, its Roman-Byzantine heritage, and its natural parks, must necessarily be combined with the awareness of traveling in a country unlike any other in the Middle East, where people are always ready to welcome you.”
Access and fluidity of travel. Between the Jordan Pass, digital ticketing (PetraPass), trains, trails, and evolving air connections, what is the “next step” you consider decisive for raising the standard of the Italian experience in Jordan over the next 12 months?
A: “We must broaden and extend the vision of the country. Beyond new UNESCO sites, such as Umm al-Jimal, Jordan is working to promote itself through new World Heritage properties and sites that are not on the maps of the classic tour of the country. I am referring to the white desert of Wadi Al-Daek, in the northeast at the border with Saudi Arabia; the ancient city of Sela, created by the Nabataeans; and other lesser-known gems, such as the Burqu Reserve, also in the northeast, where a new ecolodge has been inaugurated next to the remains of an ancient Roman fort, designed to provide new experiences along the Eastern Badia Trail, in the black desert, on foot, by 4×4, or by bicycle.
However, one of the most important projects for Jordan is to give visibility to that part of the Holy Land that most people only see from one side of the region and not from beyond the Jordan, where the site of Bethany stands, where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. The creation of the Egeria Trail is part of the broader John the Baptist Trail, which begins at the UNESCO site of Umm ar-Rasas and ends at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, another World Heritage Site.”
Tourist tents in the Wadi Rum desert. Jordan.
Fragility and care. Petra and Wadi Rum teach that beauty needs intelligent limits; the Dead Sea reminds us that landscapes are delicate organisms. What concrete actions are you introducing to manage peaks, protect ecosystems, and involve residents as key players?
A: “Regarding Petra, at the end of 2023, Jordan undertook an initiative aimed at the systemic protection of the country’s most famous archaeological site. The population that ‘exploited’ the large masses of tourists through illicit and unpleasant commercial practices for visitors was invited to relocate to the village created for them in Wadi Musa and to undertake remunerative activities for their families, without neglecting the schooling of their children. Petra reminds us every day of its fragility, having withstood time and earthquakes, and with UNESCO’s support, it is constantly monitored so that its magnificent temples and tombs resist the salt-laden winds coming from Wadi Rum. Furthermore, in 2025, new trails were prepared to add to those already existing, allowing visitors to better discover the ancient Nabataean capital, which, it should not be forgotten, is the largest archaeological site in the world and has paths that can reveal additional archaeological treasures. All this, however, without depriving Petra of its unique character as an exotic mountain site in the desert.
In Wadi Rum, the creation of new and modern tented camps has given more people the opportunity to visit this desert made famous by the exploits of Lawrence of Arabia, but also by recent major science-fiction films, to the point of being nicknamed Mars on Earth. Yet here too, the ecosystem must be protected, because more visitors generate new ecological challenges that must be promptly addressed. Efforts are underway to build camps on the margins of the desert as well, for a more genuine experience with the Bedouin populations, the true custodians of all Jordan, whose origins go back thousands of years.
Finally, regarding the Dead Sea, the problem of this great salt lake is the increasingly scarce flow of the Jordan River that feeds its waters. Fortunately, in recent years, climate change has shifted many weather systems toward Jordan, bringing abundant rainfall that also replenishes the aquifers of other tributaries, such as Wadi Mujib. However, these changes alone cannot stop the decline in the Dead Sea’s water levels. The canal project from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, discussed for more than a decade, is currently stalled due to issues beyond Jordan, in neighbouring countries. The hotels built in recent years along the Jordanian shores of the Dead Sea have zero impact, but the work to protect this unique place is under study and requires significant resources that must also come from tourism, which represents an important share of Jordan’s GDP.”
Does the Jordan Tourism Board have plans dedicated to supporting Italian operators in developing the destination in terms of media presence, marketing, and communication?
A: “Since its creation and its arrival in Italy, the JTB has always collaborated with operators on all fronts, supporting their promotion and programming while growing the Jordan brand together with them. From co-partnership activities at all levels to offering incentives for those interested in investing in ITC flights, especially to Aqaba. Our policy has always been to work as a team with all those willing to share with us the promotion of Jordan in Italy, from small and new operators to the most established ones in the destination. And this approach will not change over the years, but, on the contrary, with the willingness of the operators, it will be strengthened so that they too may become carriers and promoters of Jordan as a country unlike any other, with great tourism potential that must be understood in its complexity, not prepackaged.”
An invitation to Italians. If you could speak directly to someone departing from Rome or Milan, why choose Jordan now, and which simple gesture, a flavour, a scent, a word learned, would you suggest they bring home as a promise to return?
A: “In 2023, before the well-known events of October 7, the discussion revolved around over-tourism, particularly in Petra and Wadi Rum. A problem we were ready to face with new initiatives related to visitor flows, which, however, decreased due to neighbouring conflicts and left Jordan facing different challenges. But from one perspective, with the absence of large tourist crowds, new scenarios emerge: a different approach to Jordan’s history and its people that generates a sense of belonging to these places, a balance between tourism and local quality of life, greater environmental sustainability, and a diversification of the offering aimed at discovering new experiences and building a more balanced tourism model for a more qualitative future.
This is the message we want to convey now. Beyond the issues of the area, the quality of tourism in Jordan, at this moment, is at its highest. Share your experiences with the local population, speak in any language but with the heart and enthusiasm of travelling in Jordan, and you will bring home part of their culture, which is part of their identity and personality, along with the fantastic Jordanian landscapes.”
Jordan today offers itself as a threshold between past and future, a living laboratory where culture, spirituality, and innovation intertwine in a shared narrative. It is not only a destination to visit but a place to understand, to inhabit for a few days with respect and curiosity. Here, travel regains a profound meaning: that of generating authentic connections, of giving value back to communities, and of recognising, in the beauty of the desert and in the kindness of people, a rare equilibrium. In Jordan, tourism is not consumption but dialogue and every encounter, if welcomed with attention and measure, becomes a bridge toward a new way of seeing the world.
