Conference Programme   - available now!

4 – 7 April 2009, Amman, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Tourism is a well established phenomenon across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region and despite political instabilities it demonstrates remarkable resilience. As well as being a major economic force, and a key driver for development, tourism is also an important mechanism for social exchange and identity building at both the individual and regional/national levels. Over recent years the rate of tourism development has increased substantively. Multinational investments in hotels, resort complexes and infrastructure, together with major heritage conservation projects are catalysing significant social changes, environmental changes and re-shaping new regional and international relationships. In the drive to develop tourism, culture(s) and heritage are being mobilised, landscapes and lives are being transformed, and traditions renegotiated.

It is timely to address the changes which are taking place across the Middle East and North Africa as a result of tourism, together with the challenges and opportunities such changes may pose to the heritages and cultures of the region.

The aims of this inter-disciplinary conference are:

• To critically explore the major issues facing the MENA region with regard to the development of tourism and its relationships with heritage and culture;
• To draw upon research, ideas, cases and best practice from international scholars and help develop new understandings and research capacities regarding the relationships between tourism, heritage and culture in the MENA Region;
• To provide a major networking opportunity for international scholars, policy makers and professionals.

Key Themes

The conference seeks to promote dialogue across all disciplinary boundaries. Research papers will be presented on a rich variety of issues drawing upon the latest research and critical thinking. Delegates will have the opportunity to learn of the different methodologies and theories being applied to the inter-relations between tourism, culture and heritage.

Key themes of interest to be addressed at the conference include:

• The political economies of tourism;
• Tourism in the construction of places / nations;
• The role of archaeology in tourism development;
• Structures / infrastructures of MENA tourism — building / architecture / design for tourism &  tourists;
• Tourism and the role of the museum;
• The conservation of heritage in tourism;
• The practices and performances of ‘tradition’;
• Intangible heritage and its role in tourism;
• Rural and urban tourism practices.

Conference Audience

This inter-disciplinary event brings together academics, policy makers and practitioners not only from across the Middle East and North Africa but from all parts of the world. Delegates from over 30 countries have submitted abstracts to the Conference and between them they cover the following disciplines and fields: anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art and design, cultural geography, cultural studies, ethnology and folklore studies, history, heritage studies, landscape studies, socio-linguistics, museum studies, political sciences, sociology, tourism studies, and urban/spatial planning.

Our aim is to encourage delegates from all backgrounds to meet and exchange their experiences and research in a friendly and receptive atmosphere.

Conference Patron

We are delighted and honoured to announce that the Patron of the Conference is Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya Bint Al Hassan of Jordan.

Keynote Speakers

The conference will include keynote addresses from:

• Eugenio Yunis, Director General of Programme and Coordination of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, Madrid, Spain
• Dr Seteney Shami, Director of the Middle East  and the North Africa Programme,  Social Science Research Council, New York, USA
• Dr Waleed Hazbun, Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science,    Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA

Conference Venue

The conference will be held in the Al-Hussein Cultural Centre (pictured below) in the heart of downtown   Amman. This impressive building, kindly granted to us for the event by the Greater Amman Municipality, will provide a convenient and convivial social space for delegates to meet, exchange ideas and create new networks. The Great Amman Municipality established the Al Hussein Cultural Centre to be a cultural landmark for the City of Amman. The majority of presentations and events will take place in the Cultural Centre. The venue offers delegates wireless internet access.

Conference Organisers

Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change, Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom, and the Council for British Research in the Levant, Amman, Jordan.

For further information please see documents below or contact us at ctcc@leedsmet.ac.uk

DOWNLOADS AND FURTHER INFORMATION

-Conference Programme

-Conference Brochure and Registration Form

-Keynote Speakers

-Conference Abstracts

-Information for Presenters

-Full Paper Style Sheet

-Conference Venue 

-Accommodation and Airport Transfer - Booking Form

-Post-Conference Tours - Booking Form

-Royal Jordanian Airlines