Ma'an, Nov. 27 (Petra)-- Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Imad Hijazin conducted a field tour on Thursday of several tourist and archaeological sites in Ma’an Governorate, including Al-Shoubak District and the Adhruh area, to assess the quality of tourist services, follow up on the needs of various sites, and strengthen engagement with local communities.

Hijazin began his visit to Ma’an accompanied by Ma’an Governor Khaled Al-Hajaj and Director-General of the Department of Antiquities Fawzi Abu Danneh.

The inspection included Ma’an Castle, the Heritage Market, the Founder King’s Palace, and the Hijaz Railway Station, where he reviewed the level of services provided to visitors and the progress of development projects aimed at enhancing the visitor experience at these historic locations.

The minister then proceeded to the Adhruh area, where he visited the Visitors Center and listened to a briefing on the ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the site and improve its readiness to receive tourists, in line with the ministry’s plans to support destinations in the southern region of the Kingdom.

At Shoubak Castle, and in the presence of Italian Ambassador to Jordan Luciano Pezzotti and a team of specialists from the University of Florence, Hijazin was briefed on the castle’s maintenance and restoration project carried out by the Department of Antiquities in cooperation with the University of Florence.

During his visit to Shoubak, the minister also met with representatives of the local community at the Shoubak Municipality building, in the presence of Governor Al-Hajaj and Head of the Municipal Committee Mohammad Al-Nuaimat.

Discussions focused on key challenges facing the tourism sector in the district, ways to further develop ongoing tourism projects, and mechanisms to empower the local community to benefit from the development opportunities offered by the sector.

//Petra// MF