Launching Salt Tourism Trail

Salt, Jordan - The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) today unveiled a major plan to tap into the rich heritage of Salt and transform it into an attractive tourism destination for both local, Arab and international tourists. The Salt City Trail Development Plan defines MoTA efforts to put Salt on the tourist map and outlines supporting initiatives that have been or will be implemented by donor agencies working in the area. These include the World Bank-funded Third Tourism Development Project, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Project for Tourism Development and the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project II. The Salt City Trail is part of a national initiative to develop tourism trails around Jordan, of which Salt will be the model for developing city trails.

Salt, which is a 20-minute drive from central Amman, exudes Ottoman-era charm and holds much tourism potential. It has more than 900 heritage buildings, many of which date to back to the period of Ottoman rule in Jordan, and the city, which is built on steep hills, is also known for its narrow winding stairways and scenic viewpoints.

The Salt City Trail plan was presented today, outlining how the trail will offer visitors a unique opportunity for visitors to experience this city and see its main attractions in a simple and interactive way. It will also guide the flow of visitors through the city and help to bring economic benefits to the community of Salt.

The Salt City Trail has already been mapped out and a plan for preparing the route has been developed. The next steps will involve evaluating the trail, which has already begun, creating a detailed trail map, putting in place a program to encourage the needed investments along the trail and implementation of these, and finally marketing and management of the trail.

The launch of the Salt City Trail plan comes after extensive planning and assessments in Salt, which MoTA conducted in close coordination with the local community, including decision makers, associations, leaders, families, women, and business owners. The planning, which was conducted with support from the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project II, helped to determine the potential and requirements in order to meet the needs of the community and best serve tourism.

The trail brings together a number of developments in Salt, including upgrading of infrastructure by the World Bank project, which includes the renovation of Al Ain plaza the Great Mosque in Salt and heritage buildings overlooking the plaza as well as the heritage museum in the famed Abu Jaber heritage complex which is funded by JICA. Also, the USAID Tourism Project in coordination with the World Bank project will be implementing a grants scheme to support local entrepreneurs and businesses to develop tourism service, as well as supporting interpretation of and marketing plan for the trail.

The main Salt City Trail is 1.7km long and passes through key attractions in Salt such as the Jada’ viewpoint, Al Ain plaza, the Khatib, Sukkar, Saket and Mihyar heritage houses, the Sa’id Bahra school, the Latin Monastery, The Archaeological and Historical museums, Hammam Street and Al Khader Church. A series of secondary routes will extend the trail to 6km for visitors who are interested in exploring more of the city.

The launch of this tourism trail in Salt is the first step in placing the city and surrounding attractions on Jordan’s tourism map.