For centuries, Jordan has been one of the Holy Land’s most revered destinations. Home to places like Mount Nebo, Petra, and Bethany Beyond the Jordan, this contemporary country is the eastern part of the Holy Land and holds many of the most historic sites cherished by faith-based travel groups.
The Jordan Tourism Board, Royal Jordanian Airlines and The Group Travel Leader Inc are partnering to take a select group of qualified travel planners to Jordan, October 18-25, for an in-depth site inspection tour of this remarkable country. Participants will include Mac Lacy, publisher of The Group Travel Leader Inc, who will accompany the group and publish feature articles afterward.
The trip is being offered exclusively to the readers of the magazines of The Group Travel Leader Inc, including Going On Faith and Select Traveler. The company’s magazines reach more than 26,000 qualified travel planners each month.
“Jordan is a natural destination for religious and affinity groups,” said Malia Asfour, director of Jordan Tourism Board North America. “This inspection tour will help faith-based and affinity travel planners in The Group Travel Leader Inc’s readerships to personally discover and experience our hospitality and holy sites. By seeing these and other world heritage sites like Petra and the Dead Sea, they will be equipped to plan unforgettable tours to Jordan with authentic experiences for their members.”
“Royal Jordanian Airlines has been flying between North America and Jordan for more than 37 years, carrying countless pilgrims to the Holy Land,” said Anwar Atalla, marketing chief of the commercial department at Royal Jordanian Airlines. “We are proud of our role and are committed to continuing our tradition of helping people visit the biblical lands at the root of their faith and spirituality.”
“I have long wanted to travel to Jordan myself,” said Lacy. “I have traveled to other sites in the Holy Land, and visiting Jordan offers me a broadened knowledge of this spiritually significant part of the world. I look forward to sharing this experience with my fellow travelers and with our readers, as well. Both have the potential to bring their groups back to Jordan for years to come.”
The itinerary for this site inspection trip includes, but is not limited to:
• Mount Nebo, where scriptures say Moses gazed across to the Promised Land;
• Bethany Beyond the Jordan, believed to be the site of Jesus’ baptism;
• Petra, the rose-red rock city that is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World;
• The Dead Sea.
Seating is limited, and interested travel planners should visit the website www.myjordanjourney.com right away to learn more about this opportunity. All interested planners will be asked to complete a survey online that will help to define their group and its travel patterns. Qualified participants will pay a $475 registration fee to attend the site inspection trip. The tour includes round-trip airfare to Jordan from Chicago-O’Hare (ORD), plus all hotels, meals, transportation and ground costs.