Middle East tourism dispatches

I’m currently on a World Affairs Council trip to Jordan, followed by a private tour of Syria and Istanbul, Turkey. The timing could not be more interesting…a new name for a Middle Eastern trip? Emerging democracies tour!

Upon our group’s arrival in Jordan we met with the some officials from the US embassy in Amman and a Jordanian MP (a former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities) for a briefing on a current overview of the Middle East with an emphasis of course on Jordan. Interestingly, Jordan will be opening a consulate in northern Iraq, Kurdish territory. Could this be a harbinger of a Kurd Republic?

Good strategy to boost destination awareness and word of mouth tourism can be through shopping: the Madaba Arts and Handicraft Center, part of the government’s Jordan River Foundation, will pay for crating, shipping, and insurance for anything you buy that’s too big for carry on luggage. The reason they gave? Traveler’s friends will see the item, it gets conversation started, and the talk is about the Jordan trip.

Stay tuned for updates on my next adventures…Karen Weiner Escalera