Jon and I attended the official launch of the Jabal Amman Historical Exhibition this last Friday. With support from USAID – Jordan Tourism Development Project and the Jabal Amman Residents Association (JARA) there is now a Jabal Amman Visitor Information Center as well as a Jabal Amman Walking Trail which begins at the new visitor center.
JARA is a non-profit organization established 8 years ago with the goal of maintaining and preserving the old neighborhood’s identity, ethnicity and heritage. To read more about JARA and their objectives click here.
The Jabal Amman Walking Trail takes people through the neighborhood, highlighting key historical and cultural attractions.
With the assistance and development by EasyInfo, tourist are given a map brochure that provides an audio tour by using a smartphone to scan QR Codes (Quick Response Codes).
The brochure and audio guide is very user friendly. I told Mrs. Hala Zawati, General Manager of EasyInfo, that I downloaded a QR Code reader on my iPhone in 30 seconds and after scanning a QR Code on the brochure I had a video introducing me to Jabal Amman streaming on my phone in another 30 seconds.
I am looking forward to exploring and taking the full audio walking tour soon.
Mrs. Zawati was also at the JARA Visitors Information Center showcasing the new ‘Dalili Personal E-Guide’ to Jordan which will be available as an app in a few months.
The Beta demonstration of the new app was so exciting I even over heard one person say in Arabic “God bless the smartphone.”
Have you ever taken a city walking tour? If so, where and how was your experience?
