Product Development and M...
Sector Capacity Building...
MARKET RESEARCH
Sector Capacity Building & stakeholders alliances
A) SECTOR CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMS
To ensure that local capacities are built, and training programs are adapted and scaled up in each partner destination, all capacity building programs were designed through a train-the-trainers approach, where a select expert developed required topic material and trained select local trainers, who in return designed and delivered locally adapted programs on the following topics:
• Sustainable Destination Management:
6 online sessions were delivered targeting 6 governorates (Co-funded by GIZ) which were attended by 87 representatives of Tour operators, Destination management organizations and MOTA was. It was delivered by Ms. Maysa Shahateet.
• Sustainable adventure tourism Product Co-creation:
attended by 48 people, this training aimed at supporting key stakeholders in the pilot areas selected in Jordan (Irbid, Balqa, Madaba, Kerak, Tafileh, Aqaba) and help them to develop, design, co-create, deliver, and promote adventure tourism products and meaningful experiences, 6 modular sessions were delivered, targeting tour operators and service providers distributed as follows:
1. Two capacity building sessions:
utilizing the MEUDSA research findings offering an introduction to adventure tourism, market trends, necessary elements required to develop a product and how to market it. During the sessions, JTB, JTA and RSCN also presented their work in adventure tourism and shared lessons learned on adventure tourism product development and marketing.
2. Four Product Development Brainstorming sessions:
applying the 4-design thinking stages the sessions aimed at developing products or enhancing existing ones by encouraging stakeholders to brainstorm innovative products, experiences, and packages at a local level by using creative processes and concepts emerging in the Adventure Tourism niche.
• Business management training:
Attended by 24 companies, this training targeted short listed subgrantees and was designed to guide them in developing full-fledged applications for the MEDUSA Subgrants competition and focused on business management, collaborative strategies, and partnerships to increase MSMEs standards and certifications in adventure tourism as well as their proposal writing skills.
• Sustainability for Tour Guides training:
This training was conducted 2023 and will focus on sustainability practices for adventure tour guides and will help complement the cycle of sustainable practices that many Jordanian tour operators are starting to adapt.
Sustainable Destination Management:
6 JITOA member companies with 10 of their staff attended this training.
Product Co-Creation training:
9 JITOA member companies and their staff attended the training
Business Management training:
3 JITOA member companies and their staff attended the training
B) DEVELOPMENT OF STEWARDSHIP COUNCILS
In collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, MEDUSA Project facilitated the establishment of a national adventure tourism committee that directs a national vision for adventure tourism in Jordan. Through the work of the committee and its subcommittees the following was achieved. A revision of the current instructions issued by the Ministry of Tourism for organizing Adventure programs by tour operators, and amendments were suggested and presented to the ministry’s legal advisor, and currently awaiting final MOTA approval.
• Developed an action plan for adventure tourism development focusing on four pillars: legal reform, human resources development, product development and awareness raising and promotion.
• Coordinated the development of instructions for regulating adventure activities in restricted areas that are managed by the Jordan Valley Authority.
• Coordinated with MOTA to seek Jordanian Armed Forces instructions for operating in restricted areas including Al Himmeh, Baqoura…etc.
• Developed an online tool to help build a database for formal and informal adventure service providers, tour operators and supporting businesses.
• Developed a list of Adventure tourism related definitions including activities, human resources, etc.
• Supported MOTA in finding a solution to license Adventure Tourism guides that went through the French school training
• Developed a framework for Adventure Tourism Guides licensing and capacity building based on a 2-level approach (general and specialized), as a base for developing specialized instructions for adventure guides.
Objective 2: Benefits for JITOA members
• JITOA members management and staff participated in the offered training
programs
• JITOA owns 2 of the 3 training program materials and can replicate this training in the future
• JITOA presented its members interests and advocated for a better legal environment to operate adventure programs.
