Wadi Rum Development Project

Jordan's Wadi Rum Nature Reserve attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year to enjoy its magnificent natural beauty and experience Bedouin culture. Nearby communities provide services to these tourists and are working with Siyaha to expand the range and improve the quality of products and services for tourists, to help them capitalize on tourism's economic benefits.

Siyaha, partnering with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), local community-based organizations and the Wadi Rum Protected Area management team, identified projects that will increase income-generating opportunities, including:

- Developing and expanding tourism "experiences," such as camel treks and   connecting with Bedouin culture - Initiating a handicrafts project - Creating a community/eco-museum - Upgrading reserve camps and 4 X 4 vehicles - Developing small-to-medium enterprises - Empowering women and the community to participate in tourism-related   enterprises - Building the capacity of community-based organizations