Um Qais- Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Lina Annab joined a group of volunteers from the Jordan Trail Association representing Jordan's adventure tourism community in marking 3 kilometers of the 650-kilometer Jordan trail. The trail marking, which helps orient hikers to both identify their location as well as the direction of their hiking journey, kicked off in the Northern city of Um Qais; the trail's primary starting point. Managed by the Jordan Trail Association (JTA), the trail is expected to be fully marked by the end of 2018.

The Jordan Trail was mapped by over 40 volunteers from 2012-2015. The trail is 650 km long traversing Jordan from Um Qais to Aqaba, passing through 52 villages and towns and showcasing dramatic and diverse landscapes, biodiversity, history, and local culture. A criteria of over fifty variables went into selecting the route, and although trails are generally dynamic, the final route was set in 2015. The Jordan Trail is divided into 8 segments, each representing a distinct region. Each segment has 4-5 day long hikes. The full trail takes 36-40 days to walk. While some hikers will walk the entire length of the Trail, the Trail is fully accessible to be enjoyed in sub-segments as short as one day.
Information for hikers – routes, maps, planning details, difficulty ratings, local contacts – is available on the Jordan Trail Website www.jordantrail.org.

A non-governmental organization founded in 2015, the JTA plans to work closely with local communities in more than 52 villages and towns along the route of the trail, which ends in the southern seaside city of Aqaba to train local guides and help set up accommodations and services along the route. “The role of the local communities is integral to the development of this national tourism project,” noted Minister Annab. “The trail expands the experience of tourists to areas that are off the classical tourism map, creating job opportunities and space for community based tourism projects to emerge.” She added, “It was quite uplifting to witness diverse communities, under the leadership of the JTA, together with corporate supporters and adventure volunteers, exchanging knowledge and expertise from their locales. This enriches the experience for both locals and hikers. The trail is truly a remarkable way to see Jordan's historic and natural treasures and takes tourists outside of the traditional tourism sites to get a deeper insight into Jordan and its people,” she added.

Once fully marked, the Jordan Trail will attract more adventure tourists to the Kingdom; a niche market that has witnessed a significant surge despite regional political unrest that has impacted the tourism sector in Jordan. “The process of developing a route of this size takes many years, we are working on long term strategies to make the trail more accessible, to cooperate with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Jordan Tourism Board to market the trail, and to engage all stakeholders in developing services needed by hikers along the way. The JTA is keen on laying the foundations for a sustainable association that leads the development of the adventure tourism market in Jordan,” said Muna Haddad, JTA President. “We are very proud of the volunteered effort that is going into developing the trail, over 40 volunteers have been dedicated to mapping and now way marking the trail over the last four years donating their time, effort and resources to making this dream of many a reality.” she added.

JTA is supported by USAID BEST Project which is supporting the marking of the first pilot section of the trail, as well as local corporates including the JETT, Landmark Hotel, Zara Holding Company, Guiding Star, BARAKA, E&Y, Khoury Litigation, and private sponsors from JTA's General Assembly. The Board of Directors is entirely volunteer-based and is significantly involved in all activities of the trail.