MoTA staff trained to conduct tourism cluster assessments
To help improve the capacity of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) in the field of assessing tourism services and planning development projects, the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project II trained 17 MoTA staff members on how to conduct Participatory Rapid Appraisals (PRA) for tourism development. The training began with an intensive two-day workshop in January, which was followed by a practical exercise that took place in Salt.
The PRA is a tool for assessing the situation of an area and engaging the local community in gathering information, determining potential and needs, and assessing results to identify project priorities and effectively meet the needs of the targeted areas.
Mr. Yousef Zureikat, Head of the Product Development Department at MoTA, said, "The training has introduced MoTA staff to a useful assessment tool that gets the community involved and helps us to get a clear picture of the tourism capacity of the area assessed."
Mr. Ibrahim Osta, Chief of Party of the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project II said, "The PRA is a useful tool for planning the development of new tourism attractions and will help MoTA to work closely with all stakeholders involved in the development of specific tourism clusters."
The two-day workshop introduced MoTA staff to the concept of the PRA and the methods utilized as part of the appraisal process. These include planning, surveys and questionnaires, interviews, documentation, and analysis of results. The workshop was followed by a three-day practical session whereby the PRA skills learned were implemented in Salt, a charming city that is dotted with lovely Ottoman-era buildings. In this phase, MoTA staff worked alongside a team from the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project II and members of the local community to study the tourism potential by utilizing the various PRA tools and engaging the local community.
The 17 MoTA staff who were trained were from the ministry’s Tourism Development Department, World Bank Project team, Tourism Governorate department and Salt Tourism Governorate. |
