Interdependence of Museums and Tourism Industry in Jordan

Abstract

Museums are educational, cultural and recreational centers; cares for objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical value and other artifacts linked to the cultural and popular heritage of particular people, exhibiting and preserving these collections for subsequent generations. Heritage is the basis of civilization as it represents the nation's memory and a bridge linking its authenticity with its present and future as well as the foundations of its representation and identity. The aims of this retrospective study are to review the consistence and historical development of the Jordanian museums and to evaluate its current status, its contribution in sustainable tourism industry and to adjoin a new contribution to the current knowledge in this field. This study based on two approaches; the first was conducted on the numbers of visitors to five selected museums in Jordan for the years 2016-2017, taking into account the residence variable. The second approach used a sort specially designed questionnaires, written in Arabic and English languages were given non- selectively to (120) visitors, designed to determine the role of museums in supporting tourism in Jordan. Data were collected and a descriptive analysis was performed. The findings of this study revealed that museums play a prominent role in supporting the tourism industry through its active educational and recreational activities (94.33%), supporting domestic tourism (92.67%), and promote loyalty and national identity (92.33%). Our study confirmed the vital role of museums in the tourism industry, which in turn provides a fundamental tributary to the Jordanian Gross Domestic Product. The diversified Jordanian museums with its authentic holdings, in addition to the unique tourist destinations call for immediate support to boost Jordanian tourism globally.