A pioneering model for the cleanliness of touristic areas and the roads leading to them

In February of 2020, through a press conference, the Himmeh w Lammeh (HWL) initiative, in partnership with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), announced the Madaba: As a Pioneering Model project, with the support of the Swedish Embassy and in cooperation with the Madaba Governorate, city representatives of the municipality and leaders of the local community. Unfortunately, the circumstances of the Corona global pandemic prevented its implementation at that time.

On September 1, 2021, the Madaba project was finally launched. The pilot project, led by the Himmeh w Lammeh, will encourage the city and the surrounding villages to adopt international standards of hygiene in areas of waste disposal, waste treatment, litter accumulation zones, public restrooms, public parks, touristic areas and the streets leading to them. The strategy is to mobilize all the necessary capabilities and resources from both private and public sectors to mentor and assist in their implementation. Through the adoption of these standards, Himmeh w Lammeh aims to highlight the impact that cleanliness of all public areas and touristic sites has on visitors’ perception and experience which in turn has a direct effect on the local economy and job creation. HWL will also emphasize the importance of touristic sites as they relate to national heritage and the local craft industries.

The pioneering model plan will extend for a total of six months and will focus on three main axes:

• Infrastructure
• Services
• Environmental Awareness

A set of strategies has been developed for each axis, which will be implemented through working groups that include the targeted authority, a private sector specialist, and residents of the local community, led and supervised by the Himmeh w Lammeh team.  The responsibility for sustainability will be entrusted to the local community groups once training is concluded and our targets are achieved. HWL will continue supervision for an additional 6 months.

Himmeh w Lammeh, in cooperation with the Directorate of Tourism in Madaba, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and the Tourism Promotion Authority, will also celebrate World Tourism Day, World Cleanliness Day, as well as Madaba city winning the title of “The Capital of Arab Tourism” for the year 2022. The celebrations will take place in Madaba on September 27, 2021, with a regional morning parade throughout the streets of the city and the launch of the Environmental Awareness & Tourism Program (sponsored by Bank al Etihad) in the Madaba Institute for Mosaic Arts and Restoration in the afternoon.