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  • Dr. Saad Al-Saad is an Associate professor at the Department of Travel and Tourism /Yarmouk University, Jordan. I got... moreedit
Cultural heritage sites and historical centres are major tourism attractions. Urban and tourism development combined with poor tourism management can distort their authenticity, integrity and significance as well as contradict with the... more
Cultural heritage sites and historical centres are major tourism attractions. Urban and tourism development combined with poor tourism management can distort their authenticity, integrity and significance as well as contradict with the dimensions of sustainable tourism (archaeological, and environmental, economic and socio-cultural). Conflicts between sustainable tourism and urban development are becoming increasingly apparent in most of Jordan’s cultural heritage sites, especially those located in urban settings such as the Jerash Archaeological Site.
The Jerash Archaeological Site is part of a “give and take” relationship with its local residents, small business owners, tourism entrepreneurs, governmental bodies and nongovernmental organizations; in other words, it has many stakeholders with various and often conflicting interests. In the context of tourism, it is very important to understand the needs, expectations, relationships, conflicts, commonalities and alliances articulated by the stakeholders and the experts in respect to conflict management. In particular, the main goals of this thesis are (1) to do a profound analysis of the conflicts between sustainable tourism and urban development and how to manage them and (2) to present the results to all the stakeholders to start a public discussion process that will contribute in solving the conflicts and ensure effective decision-making.
The research methods included triangulation of both quantitative and qualitative methods, though the latter proved to be more useful. In order to explore the attitudes and perceptions of all the stakeholders, semi-structured interviews, group discussions and participant observations were conducted. Semi-structured interviews and group discussions were the most-used tools. 64 stakeholders were interviewed, and data and information were collected through two field trips to Jordan. Data collected from both qualitative and quantitative methods were analysed. Analysis comprised coding transcripts that were transcribed from tape recordings of interviews and group discussions with participants. Browsing, categorizing and coding of the transcripts were conducted using MAXQDA software.
Based on its findings, this thesis argues that stakeholders’ attitudes are important in understanding the stakeholders’ satisfaction about tourism and the conflict between sustainable tourism and urban development in Jerash. The findings indicate that there are diverse economic aspects of conflict. The local residents, small business owners and tourism entrepreneurs are generally dissatisfied with the urban and tourism development projects which were conducted in Jerash since the implementation of these projects negatively influenced their life and businesses, causing large financial losses for them. In Jerash, the economic benefits from the tourism industry are not fairly distributed among tourism entrepreneurs, and this causes conflicts between them. Few tourist restaurants benefit financially from tourism since the owners of these restaurants arrange kickbacks to give tour operators and guides—tour guides receive money from restaurants owners and souvenirs shopkeepers if they bring busloads of tourists to their restaurants and shops. The archaeological and environmental aspects include conflicts between the protection of the cultural and natural heritage resources and the various impacts of urban development like the distortion of the integrity and authenticity of Jerash site. The pressure of the urban and tourism development projects around the Jerash Archaeological Site contradicts the protection principles of the World Heritage Convention. Such activities cause destruction of monuments and distortion to the visual appearance of the site. For these reasons, the site is not inscribed yet on the World Heritage List. Concerning the socio-cultural aspects, the analysis focused on how urban development has contributed to separating the local community from the tourists and the site. Urban development activities have divided the Ancient Roman City (within the boundaries of the ancient city wall) into two parts: the modern city of Jerash and the archaeological site. Therefore, the local residents who live in the modern city are somewhat remote from their guests and the site.
To manage these conflict aspects effectively there is, therefore, a need to identify the root causes responsible for these conflicts. This thesis suggests that the main causes of conflict were the following: (1) the short tourists’ stay in Jerash, (2) the ineffectiveness of legislation for sustainable tourism management of cultural heritage, and (3) the lack of a comprehensive vision for urban and tourism development. Since there is no “silver bullet” solution to any conflict, there should be multiple procedures and techniques to manage conflicts that appear during the implementation of these projects. In order to prepare a comfortable atmosphere for the conflict management process, a sustainable urban tourism framework must be rapidly implemented that addresses the shortcomings of the urban and tourism development projects and identifies the boundaries of the archaeological site clearly. Other multidisciplinary techniques for conflict management are described. This includes fostering with full involvement and collaboration of all stakeholders at the planning and implementation stages of the urban and tourism development projects, fostering touristic and archaeological awareness among all the stakeholders, financing the expropriation of lands around the Jerash Archaeological Site and taking advantage of the points of agreement between the stakeholders. There was an overwhelming consensus among most of the interviewed experts that multi-stakeholder participation is an innovative technique for promoting and implementing sustainable urban and tourism development projects in Jerash.
Research Interests:
This paper aims to understand and analyse the concept, impacts and factors causing outbound tourism leakage, as well as to guide decision-makers and tourism entrepreneurs on how to reduce outbound tourism leakage and mitigate its impacts.... more
This paper aims to understand and analyse the concept, impacts and factors causing outbound tourism leakage, as well as to guide decision-makers and tourism entrepreneurs on how to reduce outbound tourism leakage and mitigate its impacts. This study used stakeholder theory as a theoretical base for analysing the perspectives of the stakeholders of the tourism and hospitality (T&H) sector. Qualitative research method was used in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was used. Interview quotes were categorized into themes. The findings revealed that outbound tourism leakage resulted in lost tourism revenues, investor reluctance, a balance-of-payments deficit, a reduction in the economic multiplier effect, and inflationary pressures on the economy. The main causes of outbound tourism leakage were the high prices, high constructional and operational costs, lower quality of infrastructure and superstructure services, limited marketing, and lack of participation and collaboration. There is a lack of conceptual and qualitative research that analysed the phenomenon of outbound tourism leakage. Therefore, this study was developed to fill a knowledge gap and qualitatively analyse the concept, impacts and factors causing outbound tourism leakage.
The purpose of this research is to examine empirically the relationships between, on the one side, awareness, feeling of comfort, of Jordanian international travellers towards airport security procedures, and on the other, their intention... more
The purpose of this research is to examine empirically the relationships between, on the one side, awareness, feeling of comfort, of Jordanian international travellers towards airport security procedures, and on the other, their intention to re-travel. Three levels of airport security procedures were examined: standard, elevated and racial profiling/human treatment independently in one single model. A quantitative survey based on a convenience sample was conducted in Jordan. Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis have been conducted to test the research hypotheses. The findings revealed that travellers' awareness and feeling of comfort toward standard and elevated procedures positively influence their intention to re-travel. Whenever the awareness and feeling of comfort decreased, travellers intend to re-travel less through airports. It was also found that travellers' awareness and feeling of comfort toward racial profiling do not influence their inten...
Cultural heritage sites and historical centres are major tourism attractions. Urban and tourism development combined with poor tourism management can distort their authenticity, integrity and significance as well as contradict with the... more
Cultural heritage sites and historical centres are major tourism attractions. Urban and tourism development combined with poor tourism management can distort their authenticity, integrity and significance as well as contradict with the dimensions of sustainable tourism (archaeological, and environmental, economic and socio-cultural). Conflicts between sustainable tourism and urban development are becoming increasingly apparent in most of Jordan’s cultural heritage sites, especially those located in urban settings such as the Jerash Archaeological Site. The Jerash Archaeological Site is part of a “give and take” relationship with its local residents, small business owners, tourism entrepreneurs, governmental bodies and nongovernmental organizations; in other words, it has many stakeholders with various and often conflicting interests. In the context of tourism, it is very important to understand the needs, expectations, relationships, conflicts, commonalities and alliances articulated by the stakeholders and the experts in respect to conflict management. In particular, the main goals of this thesis are (1) to do a profound analysis of the conflicts between sustainable tourism and urban development and how to manage them and (2) to present the results to all the stakeholders to start a public discussion process that will contribute in solving the conflicts and ensure effective decision-making. The research methods included triangulation of both quantitative and qualitative methods, though the latter proved to be more useful. In order to explore the attitudes and perceptions of all the stakeholders, semi-structured interviews, group discussions and participant observations were conducted. Semi-structured interviews and group discussions were the most-used tools. 64 stakeholders were interviewed, and data and information were collected through two field trips to Jordan. Data collected from both qualitative and quantitative methods were analysed. Analysis comprised coding transcripts that were transcribed from tape recordings of interviews and group discussions with participants. Browsing, categorizing and coding of the transcripts were conducted using MAXQDA software. Based on its findings, this thesis argues that stakeholders’ attitudes are important in understanding the stakeholders’ satisfaction about tourism and the conflict between sustainable tourism and urban development in Jerash. The findings indicate that there are diverse economic aspects of conflict. The local residents, small business owners and tourism entrepreneurs are generally dissatisfied with the urban and tourism development projects which were conducted in Jerash since the implementation of these projects negatively influenced their life and businesses, causing large financial losses for them. In Jerash, the economic benefits from the tourism industry are not fairly distributed among tourism entrepreneurs, and this causes conflicts between them. Few tourist restaurants benefit financially from tourism since the owners of these restaurants arrange kickbacks to give tour operators and guides—tour guides receive money from restaurants owners and souvenirs shopkeepers if they bring busloads of tourists to their restaurants and shops. The archaeological and environmental aspects include conflicts between the protection of the cultural and natural heritage resources and the various impacts of urban development like the distortion of the integrity and authenticity of Jerash site. The pressure of the urban and tourism development projects around the Jerash Archaeological Site contradicts the protection principles of the World Heritage Convention. Such activities cause destruction of monuments and distortion to the visual appearance of the site. For these reasons, the site is not inscribed yet on the World Heritage List. Concerning the socio-cultural aspects, the analysis focused on how urban development has contributed to separating the local community from the tourists and the site. Urban development activities have divided the Ancient Roman City (within the boundaries of the ancient city wall) into two parts: the modern city of Jerash and the archaeological site. Therefore, the local residents who live in the modern city are somewhat remote from their guests and the site. To manage these conflict aspects effectively there is, therefore, a need to identify the root causes responsible for these conflicts. This thesis suggests that the main causes of conflict were the following: (1) the short tourists’ stay in Jerash, (2) the ineffectiveness of legislation for sustainable tourism management of cultural heritage, and (3) the lack of a comprehensive vision for urban and tourism development. Since there is no “silver bullet” solution to any conflict, there should be multiple procedures and techniques to manage conflicts that appear during the implementation of these projects. In order to prepare a comfortable atmosphere for the conflict management…
A key component of any destinations' culture is the country's indigenous population, including the indigenous tour guides who convey the indigenous experience to the tourists as they are mostly the only ones to be encountered at... more
A key component of any destinations' culture is the country's indigenous population, including the indigenous tour guides who convey the indigenous experience to the tourists as they are mostly the only ones to be encountered at first hand by the tourists yet, their exceptional role is largely unmapped. This research aims to explore the experiences and perspectives of the indigenous tour guides on their cultural mediating role, specifically, in a cultural context in which the indigenous people are dominant, powerful in the society, and represent the majority of the local community.The research inquiry uses a qualitative approach employing key informants and semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used to select participants from tour guides in Jordan. The findings are organized in two themes based on the related literature and the interviews transcripts. First, tour guides’ beliefs about their role as cultural mediators. Next, tour guides’ opinions about the influ...
The aim of this study is to investigate the resident's perceptions of economic, socio-cultural, and aim environmental tourism impacts in Aqaba city and how they affect their quality of life. A quantitative survey based on random... more
The aim of this study is to investigate the resident's perceptions of economic, socio-cultural, and aim environmental tourism impacts in Aqaba city and how they affect their quality of life. A quantitative survey based on random sample was conducted in Aqaba. 295 questionnaires were completed by 300 respondents approached; representing a 98.3% response rate for this survey. The descriptive statistical analysis was used based on a five-point Likert scale. It was found that residents have higher positive perceptions towards economic and socio-cultural impacts of tourism in Aqaba as they agreed that tourism increases employment opportunities, improves the local economy, promotes cultural exchange and fosters tourists' awareness. On the other hand, residents' quality of life is influenced negatively as tourism increases prices of land and increases local residents' cost of living. It is also found that tourism has contributed towards problems of traffic congestion and overcrowding of people. Marital status, education, and employment were found to be the main demographic variables affecting the residents' perceptions towards tourism impacts. Finally, the recommendations section discusses some implications for local community and sustainable tourism
Health and hygiene is a provision of conditions to maintain public health, and make tourists feel safer and tourism destinations become more competitive. The existing research has been conceptual or critical, and scarce empirical studies... more
Health and hygiene is a provision of conditions to maintain public health, and make tourists feel safer and tourism destinations become more competitive. The existing research has been conceptual or critical, and scarce empirical studies focus mainly on single-case studies. Therefore, this study came to fill a knowledge gap and analyse the importance and relationship between health and hygiene and destination competitiveness through a case study of the world’s most visited tourism destinations. The study employed three techniques to analyse the synchronic and diachronic data of the destinations, i.e. comparative analysis, graphical analysis, and One-way ANOVA. The results show that health and hygiene are the most important of the 14 pillars measuring destination competitiveness. The graphical analysis indicates a positive correlation between the health and hygiene pillar and overall competitiveness. This study should be an impetus for applied scientific research for public health policy and tourism competitiveness.
The legacy of travel and hospitality in Jordan extends back more than 1,700 years, as evidenced by the late-antique site of Umm el-Jimal. Travel and hospitality revolved around the axes of trade, and generated a suitable subsistence... more
The legacy of travel and hospitality in Jordan extends back more than 1,700 years, as evidenced by the late-antique site of Umm el-Jimal. Travel and hospitality revolved around the axes of trade, and generated a suitable subsistence economy in an area with limited resources. Using architectural analysis, ethnography, and archaeological synthesis, the authors show that the city of Umm el-Jimal was built to serve the caravans on the route from Petra to Damascus. The architecture of its houses with courtyards was intended to offer accommodations to travelers. The infrastructure of the city, including its pioneering water system and general layout, contributed significantly to its success in the hospitality industry. The presence of eighteen churches in a very small area with an otherwise small population indicates their that they were used as well for visitors passing through.
The purpose of this research is to examine empirically the relationships between, on the one side, awareness, feeling of comfort, of Jordanian international travellers towards airport security procedures, and on the other, their intention... more
The purpose of this research is to examine empirically the relationships between, on the one side, awareness, feeling of comfort, of Jordanian international travellers towards airport security procedures, and on the other, their intention to re-travel. Three levels of airport security procedures were examined: standard, elevated and racial profiling/human treatment independently in one single model. A quantitative survey based on a convenience sample was conducted in Jordan. Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis have been conducted to test the research hypotheses. The findings revealed that travellers' awareness and feeling of comfort toward standard and elevated procedures positively influence their intention to re-travel. Whenever the awareness and feeling of comfort decreased, travellers intend to re-travel less through airports. It was also found that travellers' awareness and feeling of comfort toward racial profiling do not influence their intention to re-travel. Suggested recommendations and policy implications for airport security procedures and airports administrations are discussed.
Umm Qais is one of the largest historical tourist sites in Jordan. It is surrounded by different residential and urban activities. To identify and predict the land use changes that may threaten the historical tourist attractions of Umm... more
Umm Qais is one of the largest historical tourist sites in Jordan. It is surrounded by different residential and urban activities. To identify and predict the land use changes that may threaten the historical tourist attractions of Umm Qais, this study utilized LANDSAT images of the area for the years 1985, 1991, 2006, 2010, and 2016 and forecasted the change in the years 1997, 2003, and 2022 to monitor the change in barren, agricultural, water, and urban areas. The image analysis and classification were carried out using ArcGIS 10.2 whereas Markov chain analysis was used for forecasting purposes. The results of the study predict that the urban areas will expand by about 21.55% in the year 2022 compared to the year 2016 (15.75%). In addition, agricultural areas will surge by about 35.91%. The expansion in the urban and agricultural areas is predicted to be at the expense of barren areas especially those close to the Umm Qais historical site. These land use changes will cause urban development encroachments onto the cultural landscape of the site. A number of recommendations and policy implications, regarding buffer zoning, land expropriation, stakeholders’ involvement, and legislation, are suggested to mitigate the impacts of the current and
future urban development activities.
The aim of this study is to investigate the resident's perceptions of economic, socio-cultural, and aim environmental tourism impacts in Aqaba city and how they affect their quality of life. A quantitative survey based on random sample... more
The aim of this study is to investigate the resident's perceptions of economic, socio-cultural, and aim environmental tourism impacts in Aqaba city and how they affect their quality of life. A quantitative survey based on random sample was conducted in Aqaba. 295 questionnaires were completed by 300 respondents approached; representing a 98.3% response rate for this survey. The descriptive statistical analysis was used based on a five-point Likert scale. It was found that residents have higher positive perceptions towards economic and socio-cultural impacts of tourism in Aqaba as they agreed that tourism increases employment opportunities, improves the local economy, promotes cultural exchange and fosters tourists' awareness. On the other hand, residents' quality of life is influenced negatively as tourism increases prices of land and increases local residents' cost of living. It is also found that tourism has contributed towards problems of traffic congestion and overcrowding of people. Marital status, education, and employment were found to be the main demographic variables affecting the residents' perceptions towards tourism impacts. Finally, the recommendations section discusses some implications for local community and sustainable tourism
This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the current situation of urban tourism with referring to the experiences of the Arab World. By using bibliographic documentation and descriptive analytic method, this paper addresses... more
This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the current situation of urban tourism with referring to the experiences of the Arab World. By using bibliographic documentation and descriptive analytic method, this paper addresses the main opportunities, impediments, and challenges of urban tourism in three Arab cities (Dubai, Cairo and Amman). This paper indicates that the three cities have many opportunities stemming from their location and their rich tourism resources. Moreover, urban tourism in these cities should confront some internal (country based) and external (global and regional) challenges such as seasonality, pollution, congestion, competition, funding and instability. Some recommendations and policy implications were suggested. The paper concludes, by arguing, that common internal and external challenges need to be addressed in a systematic manner within the broader cultural and tourism policy context in which urban tourism is now implicated. There is a lack
of literature on urban tourism within the Arab countries, which is attributed to that tourism in the Arab world is heritage dominated type. Therefore, this research also attempts to bridge the gap in the existing literature about urban tourism in the Arab cities.
The legacy of travel and hospitality in Jordan extends back more than 1700 years as evidenced by the Late Antiquity site of Umm el-Jimal. Travel and hospitality were revolving around the axis of trade, where they proved to be a suitable... more
The legacy of travel and hospitality in Jordan extends back more than 1700 years as evidenced by the Late Antiquity site of Umm el-Jimal. Travel and hospitality were revolving around the axis of trade, where they proved to be a suitable subsistence economy in an area with diminished resources. Using architectural analysis, ethnography and archaeological synthesis, the results showed that the city of Umm elJimal was built to serve the caravans routing from Petra to Damascus. The architecture of its houses (courtyards) was intended to serve travelers, offer accommodations. The infrastructure of the city including the pioneering water system and the general layout of the city had greatly contributed to a successful hospitality industry. The presence of 18 churches in a very small area and small population indicates hospitality usage. The diversification in accommodations (churches vs. houses) might have reflected the economic disparities among travelers and/or the length of stay.
Research Interests:
The current study aims to analyse the land use changes in the cultural landscape of Jerash Archaeological Site and identify the impacts of modern urbanization which influenced it, as a potential World Heritage Site, during the period... more
The current study aims to analyse the land use changes in the cultural landscape of Jerash Archaeological Site and identify the impacts of modern urbanization which influenced it, as a potential World Heritage Site, during the period between 1953 and 2016. This study employed Geographic Information System (GIS) as a main tool of the analysis. The results show that significant changes in land use have occurred. For instance, in 1953, the unused spaces have estimated at about 65.8%, whereas the modern urbanization areas covered 3.1%. In 2016, the unused spaces decreased to about 1.8%, while the modern urbanization areas increased significantly to 57.6%. These land use changes caused urban development encroachments which damaged and caused visual pollution to the archaeological and traditional remains. GIS mapping was used to produce archaeological zoning maps through delineating buffer zones around the City Wall area and the antiquities areas. Buffer zoning could be a rational guidance to policy makers and tourism planners to limit the urban encroachments onto the cultural landscape of Jerash archaeological site.
Research Interests: