Directorate nails down new tourism trail locations in Jerash

AMMAN — The Jerash Tourism Directorate has picked the locations of three new tourism trails planned to open this summer, according to the head of the directorate. 

The first trail, named "Nahr Al Dahab" (The River of Gold), will connect the ancient and modern sections of Jerash, some 48km north of Amman, the area’s tourism director, Firas Khatatbeh, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Saturday. 

The Nahr Al Dahab trail will also include the eastern baths area and the Levant alley, Khatatbeh said, noting that the shops on the trail will mainly focus on selling handmade products. 

After the Jerash Tourism Directorate and the Greater Jerash Municipality sign an agreement, Khatatbeh said the trail can open immediately, noting that the municipality has recently cleared an area of the trail from haphazardly-installed stalls that hindered visitors' movement. 

The second trail, named Umm Jozeh, will extend over 9km from the Dibeen to Jozeh areas, and will be dedicated for hikers and cyclists, the director said, adding that residents in the area will be trained to provide food and drinks, as well as accommodation. 

"The trails were made under the supervision of the local community, to improve tourism, and they will increase the number of workers in the tourism sector, providing more jobs and limiting unemployment and poverty," Khatatbeh stressed. 

The last trail, "Ghabat Al Sindian" (The Oak Forests), is a 7km wooded area also dedicated for walking or cycling, the director noted.

The three trails are comprehensive and contain nine old trails that have not brought many visitors, Khatatbeh pointed out, adding that they aim to increase the duration of  visitors’ stay, which currently averages out to three hours in Jerash. 

The old trails were only open in the summer, but work is ongoing to open the trails in winter, the director noted, adding that the directorate had allocated JD75,000 to build and improve the governorate’s tourism trails.