According to David Clemmons, an expert on the niche market and editor of Voluntourist, the concept of volunteer travel caters to those who would like to leave a lasting impact on the community they visit.

“It wasn’t until voluntourism that we as travellers could express our gratitude,” Clemmons told The Jordan Times. “There is a need not only to take something back home, but to leave something behind, to leave a piece of the traveler. This is where we see this market heading.”

Roots in caring

The concept of voluntourism originated over a decade ago, with Western backpackers staying with families in South America and looking for ways to help the local community. Since then, the market has grown, with tourists engaging in volunteer activities on all five continents, ranging from building local schools to aiding in harvests.

According to a 2009 forecast poll by Travelocity.com, 13% of travelers planned on including volunteer service as a part of their leisure itineraries last year.

Culture of hospitality

According to Clemmons, Jordan has a culture of “hospitality” that can be marketed to facilitate several different types of voluntourism exchanges, and raise the Kingdom’s profile as a stand-alone destination. The types of activities offered, however, NGOs have to determine, he added.

During a seminar sponsored by the Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA), Rabee Zureikat highlighted the success of his initiative, “Zikra”, in fostering cultural exchange.

Other long-standing initiatives include the Iraq Al Amir women’s cooperative and Bani Hamida, where cultural products are ready to be marketed. Others, such as the Al Ayoun Trail, developed by the Tourism Ministry and local municipalities in Ajloun, utilise hiking and natural scenery to facilitate encounters with local residents.

Industry stakeholders mostly agreed that although there is potential in Jordanian voluntourism, this type of tourist offering needs to be developed to be presented to tourists looking to plan their holiday.

“We have the opportunity to start from the ground up and develop professional products to offer visitors,” said Wendy Botham, director of Petra Moon Tourism Services.

Botham believes that NGOs need to develop and showcase products so that operators will know what to market to consumers.

Need for training

So far, NGOs in the region lack the business savvy, product development and pricing mechanisms that tend to be common knowledge in the private sector, while operators may not be as aware of local cultural assets and opportunities for exchange as organisations well-immersed in the community.

As part of an effort to introduce the niche market to the sector, JITOA sponsored a recent field trip to various initiatives and held several seminarsfor both NGOs and tour operators.

The seminars are part of the EU/Jordan Service Modernisation Program.

In its second phase, JITOA intends to meet with NGOs in order to present activities to tour operators and develop a web portal showcasing NGOs’ services, opportunities and schedules of events, according to JITPA CEO Nizar Adarbeh.

He said JITOA is looking to develop a code of conduct and guidelines for tourists, tour operators and NGOs on voluntourism in order to promote best practices in the nascent sector.

With the interest of industry operators and NGOs “piqued”, he expressed hope that the voluntourism concept will take root in the Kingdom soon.

“We are just at the beginning, and we need to give a helping hand to support good causes in Jordan,” he said.

Clemmons agreed: “Through voluntourism you can open up the heart of a traveller and open up the heart of a destination.”

The Jordan Tourism Board has unveiled a “unique image of Jordan” to coincide with the royal state visit to Italy by Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania beginning on October 19, 2009.

The royal visit will include talks with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and senior Italian officials on means to foster bilateral ties. It will also include a speech by His Majesty the King at the Jordanian-Italian Business Forum.

Culture and art on display

While tourism is expected to take an important place during the visit, the Jordan Tourism Board JTB is launching a Jordanian Week entitled “Giordania Svelata” (Unveiled Jordan), which will be held October 22-30, 2009.  The event will be inaugurated by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and will include three photo exhibitions of Jordan’s majestic treasures.

The first, in “Via Dante 14 Gallery” is dedicated to images of Jordan for sale to the public and whose revenue will go to various Jordan River Foundation charity projects. The second will be a 300-meter-long street exhibition on the famous “Via Dante” pedestrian street in the heart of Milan, which includes 30 panels displaying 60 images of Jordan, as well as images by Jordanian photographers. The third exhibition will be located in the street linking the Dante Gallery to the Galleria Meravigli historical gallery.

In addition to the sounds of Jordanian music, and a special spa area for treatment with Dead Sea products, this part of the event will include a restaurant offering a food tasting of typical Jordanian dishes prepared by Jordanian chefs. The restaurant, which will be dressed up with Jordanian designs and colors, will be open daily for lunch and in the evening it transforms into a service and coffee lounge.

Finding adventure

Meanwhile, in the Western Hemisphere, the Jordan Tourism Board North America (JTBNA) is co-sponsoring the “Spotlight on Sustainability” luncheon and taking part in the Adventure Trade World Summit 2009 in Quebec, Canada on October 20 through 22 – all part of its cooperation with the Adventure Travel and Trade Association (ATTA).

At the summit, JTBNA will have the opportunity to present Jordan’s adventure and eco tourism market and highlight the steps the Kingdom has taken towards sustainability and conservation.

“Jordan is one of the hottest new destinations for adventure travelers,” said Malia Asfour, Director of JTBNA. “Our partnership with ATTA and National Geographic Adventure at the Jordan Travel Mart 2009 helped us introduce what Jordan has to offer to this growing niche market. We are very excited about the possibilities in positioning Jordan together as a premiere Adventure Destination for North American Tourists.”

As Jordan continues to witness a healthy flow of tourism from North America, JTBNA is aiming  to introduce the ATTA members to the eco and adventure tourism products that the country has to offer.

For more information, visit the special “Giordania Svelata” page on the Jordan Tourism Board’s website or simply visit www.visitjordan.com.

ATTA President Shannon Stowell, NGA Director of Travel Bryan Kinkade and Xola Consulting President Christina Heyniger, have all joined a panel with Chris Johnson of Wild Jordan to deliver a perspective on adventure travel worldwide and how Jordan’s offering is an ideal match to what today’s travelers seek, communicating what constitutes adventure travel and what travelers are increasingly demanding: a combination of physical activity, exposure to the natural environment, and immersive, authentic experiences with local peoples and cultures.

Guidance provided by the group was rooted in the philosophy of sustainable development. The team’s recommendations were informed by the adventure industry’s Adventure Tourism Development Index (ATDI), which articulates the principles of sustainable tourism development specifically for adventure markets. The ATDI (www.adventureindex.travel) principles encourage markets that provide for the economic, environmental and social benefits important to individual host communities, country level tourism industry managers and travelers.

Stowell, Kinkade and Heyniger, representing different sectors of the travel trade, took time for an exploratory mission to visit well-known destinations in southern Jordan including Wadi Rum, Petra and Aqaba, but with an adventure twist. Cycling from Petra to Wadi Rum was one of the ways the team traveled through traditional Jordanian tourist hotspots, which can be seen through an uncommon lens that allows travelers to immerse themselves into both nature and local cultures more easily. Canyoning in Zarqa Ma’in near Amman, swimming in a hot springs river and hiking in Wadi Rum rounded out their itinerary. In addition, the group spent a half-day visiting, learning and supporting staff members at the King Hussein Center for Handicapped Children, one of several organizations participating in Jordan’s emerging volunteer tourism sector.

According to the group, Jordan is an attractive destination for people interested in learning about the Middle East, which has in recent years has emerged as a region of increased interest among both U.S.-based tour operators and travelers. Adventure travel, with its focus on more in-depth explorations offers people a new, authentic and largely untapped way to experience the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

“It’s clear that Jordan has outstanding adventure tourism opportunities, and we only scratched the very surface of what’s available. A key challenge for destination managers will be structuring development to incorporate communities and stay within the capacity limits of nature reserves,” said Heyniger.

Jordan has already taken significant steps to balancing the demands of tourism and the needs of nature conservation through the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). The RSCN has the stated mission of protecting Jordan’s distinct natural resources while encouraging ecotourism businesses for the benefit of local communities. The RSCN manages nine different reserves in Jordan, each with a distinct ecosystem.

Increasingly, the ATTA, Xola and National Geographic Adventure are teaming up to offer emerging adventure destinations insights on how to tap and responsibly serve the rapidly growing niche of adventure travel. The group, representing varied, yet complementary perspectives, also are helping to raise awareness of new opportunities to adventure travelers worldwide.

About ATTA
Established in 1990, the Seattle-based ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz) is a global membership organization dedicated to unifying, networking, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market. ATTA members include tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, specialty travel agents, guides, accommodations, media and service providers. The ATTA presents www.adventure.travel, an expansive consumers directory to global adventure travel resources, destinations and operators, as well as the annual Adventure Travel World Summit executive conferences.

About National Geographic ADVENTURE
National Geographic ADVENTURE magazine is the ultimate guide to the adventure lifestyle. It serves and inspires people who have a passion for travel and the outdoors, enjoy challenging themselves mentally and physically, and are interested in learning about the cultural and natural resources that make each destination unique. ADVENTURE delivers a compelling mix of award-winning adventure travel journalism, dramatic photography, and useful personal service information on travel destinations, adventure sports, gear and technology, and more. Its 2.3 million readers are trendsetters in the marketplace who thrive on new experiences and lead values-driven lives. ADVENTURE is the fastest-growing magazine in both the travel and outdoor categories. Its editorial mission supports National Geographic Society’s corporate global mission to inspire people to care about the planet.

About Xola Consulting, Inc.
Xola Consulting, Inc. (www.xolaconsulting.com) is a consulting and research services firm assisting tour operators, tourism boards and non-profit organizations with sustainable adventure tourism destination and product development, marketing and research. The Xola team is made up of consultants who, in addition to having consulting industry expertise, are also unique in that many of them have owned, operated or guided for adventure travel companies. Xola also provides Off the Radar (www.travelofftheradar.com) a newsletter and website providing travelers with information about the best adventure operators around the world – those who provide guests with a genuine, personal experience; who believe in sustainable, environmentally sensitive travel; and who believe in incorporating the local people and traditions of the places where they operate.

Most of the adventures are designed to be suitable for everyone, with adventures that primarily focus on areas off the beaten track; meeting the expectations of a wide range of tastes and preferences amidst a backdrop of spectacular nature. Each trip is with a small group (14 or less) and can span a single day, weekend or multi-night excursion.

Terhaal stresses the importance of responsible travel and the effects it has on the local culture, the community and the environment. Each excursion takes full advantage of opportunities for interaction with the locals, with tour guides providing adequate briefing about the local culture, including habits, gestures and showing appreciation and respect, while maximizing the utilization of the services and products of the local community in the area being visited in order to support the local communities and contribute to improving their well being.

Terhaal means ‘to be in a state of constant travel’ in Arabic, referring specifically to the nomadic lifestyle of Bedouin Arabs. The Bedouins, like most indigenous peoples, are renowned for a lifestyle that is in total harmony with nature.

The idea of Terhaal came about when a young Jordanian couple, who spent most of their free time exploring and wandering through Jordan’s many valleys and gorges, decided that they wanted to share these natural treasures with visitors who prefer to stray off the beaten path. Together with two other friends they decided to start an Eco-Adventure Operator that would show people the true face of Jordan, benefit local communities whilst minimizing any impact to the environment. Terhaal also strives to reveal to Jordanians the natural wonders of their land that remain a mystery to many.

Jordan is located in the heart of the Middle East, Northwest of Saudi Arabia, South of Syria, Southwest of Iraq, and East of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority. Jordan has access to the Red Sea via the port city of Aqaba, located at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba.

Environmental protection is sacred to the staff at Terhaal. Their trips are organized with small groups to minimize the strain on the eco system being visited, and guides ensure that all adventurers are made aware of best practices to protect the environment.

For more information, visit http://www.terhaal.com.