Jordan Tourism Adjusts to Rapid Changes in Destination Marketing

Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of video interviews from the Skift Take Studio, presented by KDS, that were filmed at last year's Skift Global Forum.

During the 2017 Skift Global Forum in September in New York City, we heard from a host of the travel industry’s top leaders from across every sector.

And after first speaking to them on stage in front of an audience of more than 1,100, we took another few minutes with them to get more insight in our backstage Skift Take Studio.

In our behind-the-scenes conversation, Lina Annab, Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, shared her thoughts about influencers, the area's competitive advantages, and the evolution of destination marketing.

"Oftentimes we get asked about our plans for the next five years, and I find that this is a question that probabaly was relevant maybe 10 years ago," she said. "But today, with the changes that are taking place with the new digital ecosystem that we find ourselves in, planning for the next five years is probably a bit unrealistic. We take it at a maximum a year, two years."

She said Jordan is planning this year to promote adventure tourism, which she believes is a competitive strength. And the destination is also exploring how it can better use technology to drive visitation.

"Apart from marketing, the evolving technology in terms of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, all of these, are also enhancing the ways we are exposing and we are communicating the destination," Annab said. "We're trying to avail Jordan virtually before people can experience it on the ground or in reality."

Watch all the Skift Take Studio videos here.