Madaba – The charming city of Madaba, famed for its abundance of Byzantine mosaics and churches, has witnessed much tourism development over the past two years. Over twenty new tourism-related businesses have opened, and many others have expanded especially hotels and restaurants. 

One of the most noticeable changes however is the look and feel of the city’s main tourist  street, (Artisan street) where shops have undergone facelifts to create a pleasanter  visual and shopping experience in the city’s compact center for the hundreds of thousands of visitors who descend upon the city of mosaics, and particularly this street, each year.

The facelift comes as a result of a façade upgrade program that is being implemented by the Madaba Tourism Association (MTA) with support from the Madaba Municipality, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project. The goal of the program is to enhance the appearance of shops in Madaba’s core heritage area to strengthen its tourism appeal and thus increase the amount of time that visitors spend in the city center.

The first phase of the façade upgrade was implemented the along Artisan Street, which runs from the Madaba Visitor Center and is so-named due to the multitude of local handicraft and souvenir shops that can be found along it. To date 46 shops have taken part in the façade upgrade initiative, which was partly funded through USAID grants with shop owners contributing 10-50% of the cost. The second phase of the upgrades are planned in the future along the heritage trail, most notably King Talal Street which connects the Church of the Map to the Saraya building, marked to become a tourism attractions according to the Ministry of Tourism's plans.

Upgrade of shop fronts was implemented in accordance with new shop front façade guidelines that were adopted by the Municipality. The Madaba municipality is enforcing these facade guidelines by not renewing registrations for shops that do not meet the requirements. It will eventually become mandatory for all shops and businesses in central Madaba to apply these guidelines to their outlets.

Façade guidelines include specifications for the dimensions, layout and materials used for shop fronts, along with details on awnings, size and placement of shop names, and color options. The aim is to standardize the look of the street while at the same time allowing owners enough leeway to customize their facades according to their businesses. The result is a more aesthetically pleasing street, which pedestrians can enjoy walking along, and clearer, more attractive shops fronts that entice the visitor in to see more.

The physical upgrade of the shops addressed problems such as facades over-crowded with commercial signage, badly displayed goods, and deteriorating and shabby displays and lighting. The aesthetic enhancements have added to Madaba’s charm and appeal and will help in promoting the city as a handicraft and longer-stay destination.

The façade upgrade initiative stems from the Madaba Tourism Development Strategy, which was developed with the support of the USAID-funded Jordan Tourism Project in cooperation with MoTA, local government and tourism stakeholders and launched in June 2006.