Beyond enriching the lives of millions of visitors every year, the tourism sector plays a critical role in Jordan’s economy and requires structured support to achieve its full potential.
Final Reports: Jordan Building Economic Sustainability through Tourism .
Project Report | May 31, 2021
These reports summarize the life of the Jordan Building Economic Sustainability through Tourism (BEST) project which aimed to increase economic growth and job creation in Jordan's tourism sector.
Throughout the life of the project, BEST successfully created 4,748 tourism jobs and leveraged more than 116 million Jordanian dollars in private sector investments to support the Jordanian tourism industry. By the end of the program, there was an increase in the number of visitors to Jordan, tourism receipts, and the number of people employed directly in the project due to interventions and grants provided. The project also partnered with government, communities, civil society and the private sector to develop and improve Jordan’s tourism sector through diversifying products and services, increasing investment, raising service standards and the quality of education, and boosting marketing efforts.
To sustain the momentum gained in developing Jordan’s tourism sector throughout the base period years of the BEST project, USAID extended the BEST project for one year to address and mitigate the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector. During the extension period of June 2021 to May 2021, the Jordan BEST project worked closely with the Jordan government, communities, civil society, and private sector to support the recovery of the tourism sector following the global pandemic. The project focused on developing recovery strategies, building resilience throughout the sector, and training official and tourism operators on new health and safety standards to ensure a rapid and sustainable recovery.