Hintergrund ist wohl ein andauernden Konflikt zwischen lokaler Bevölkerung und jordanischer Regierung in Südjordanien, insbesondere in der Gegend um Ma’an.
Laut Jordan Times ist die Anordnung seites des Ministeriums vergangenen Montag in Kraft getreten, auch wenn die Bewohner des Wadi Rum beteuern, die Gegend sei für Touristen sicher ...
Wadi Rum residents insist area safe for tourists, criticise ministry banResidents of Wadi Rum have complained of Tourism Ministry’s ban on tourists’ trips to their area, insisting that the area is safe for guests and unaffected by tribal protests over the Jafer case. The Ministry of Tourism on Saturday instructed tour operators not to take tourists to Wadi Rum, according to a ministry document obtained by The Jordan Times on Monday. The ministry issued the instructions to Jordanian travel agencies, directing them not to send tourists to Wadi Rum, 300km south of Amman, and to avoid some roads in the south of the Kingdom, for fear of possible violence. The decision came after the Huwaitat, one of the largest tribes in southern Jordan, protested a court ruling sentencing a Jordanian soldier to life in prison for the killing of three US soldiers at a military base in Jafer in Maan Governorate [...] Abu Mohammad, a local who owns a tourist camp in Wadi Rum, told The Jordan Times on Monday that the measure has harmed the local community, which relies on tourism as the main source of income. He also described the decision as “unnecessary”, saying that “the locals are bedouins, one of whose main values is protecting guests, including tourists”. “This week I was supposed to host two tourist groups at my camp. However, they were sent to Aqaba and Petra because of the decision,” Abu Mohammad said. Nasser Zawaydeh, Wadi Rum region director, told The Jordan Times that the decision is “unfair”, as tourism is the main source of income for locals. He also argued that, even during the “worst” times of the “Arab Spring” in 2011, no tourists were hurt.
25.07.2017 - Jordan Times
Gruß
Birgitt
