Pick up your badge and conference materials at AdventureNEXT Check In in the main lobby of the Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla Resort prior to the welcome reception. You will be required to show your badge to enter all AdventureNEXT sessions, meals and special events.

Whether you are a local delegate or have journeyed to the Red Sea from an exciting Pre-Adventure, all delegates of AdventureNEXT Near East are invited to kick off the event this evening with a welcome dinner.

Pick up your badge and conference materials at AdventureNEXT Check In at the entrance to the Convention Center inside the Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla Resort prior to the opening plenary session. You will be required to show your badge to enter all AdventureNEXT sessions, meals and special events.

AdventureNEXT Near East returns to Jordan for the third year under the Patronage of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II. The opening session for all delegates will include words of welcome from tourism officials and dignitaries. 

Over the past three years of the AdventureNEXT Near East, it has been demonstrated that adventure tourism is an industry that attracts investment, generates employment, supports women, and empowers small businesses. Despite challenges we encounter on the way to achieving success, we have much to celebrate and fulfilling hard work still ahead. In this opening keynote address, Celine Cousteau will share how she uses filmmaking to inspire change and deepen human connections, finding success in unlikely places. Through her film work with the Iraq Al Amir women’s cooperative, we celebrate a recent success of the travel industry doing good. Through her storytelling, Cousteau shares her own challenges in  environmental conservation and social activism, inspiring us to collaborate across the Near East region and strive for success in all areas: for business, for the environment, for communities.

Keynote Partner

The AdventureNEXT Marketplace features up to 40 inbound tour operators and accommodations from the Near East region with a spotlight on Jordan. It provides a focused setting for delegates to connect with potential partners, hold business meetings, and promote adventure brands. A global delegation of outbound tour operators, wholesalers, travel advisors, editorial media, and influencers attend Marketplace events for introductions to new companies and product development discussions.

The AdventureNEXT Marketplace features up to 40 inbound tour operators and accommodations from the Near East region with a spotlight on Jordan. It provides a focused setting for delegates to connect with potential partners, hold business meetings, and promote adventure brands. A global delegation of outbound tour operators, wholesalers, travel advisors, editorial media, and influencers attend Marketplace events for introductions to new companies and product development discussions.

ATTA’s original Disruptive Networking Adventure or “D.N.A.” event is a new take on making business contacts. Travel providers, journalists and media representatives, destination representatives, industry partners — we are all looking to build business relationships with like-minded people. Come prepared to share information about your business — concisely — and engage in meaningful, fun conversations before enjoying a free night in Aqaba. 

Juice, soda, and water complimentary. Beer and wine available by cash bar. 

Tonight is yours to explore the seaside city of Aqaba.

Start your day with an early morning dip in the refreshing waters of the Red Sea. If you are staying at one of the official AdventureNEXT Near East hotels, join fellow delegates for a quick swim before Marketplace meetings begin promptly at 9:00 AM at the Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla Resort. Wear a swimsuit, water-resistant footwear, bring a towel, a camera and please swim at your own risk. 

The AdventureNEXT Marketplace features up to 40 inbound tour operators and accommodations from the Near East region with a spotlight on Jordan. It provides a focused setting for delegates to connect with potential partners, hold business meetings, and promote adventure brands. A global delegation of outbound tour operators, wholesalers, travel advisors, editorial media, and influencers attend Marketplace events for introductions to new companies and product development discussions.

During this workshop, learn the fine art of travel photography — images that go far beyond the “I was here” photograph. As travel providers, marketers, business owners, and, of course, travelers, learn how to create beautiful landscapes and townscapes as well as powerful environmental portraits and photo essays. After a presentation of travel images by award-winning photographer Mark Edward Harris, put ideas into practice on location in Jordan. You’ll also learn how to approach newspapers and magazines with travel story ideas and develop complete projects.

This session is designed for all delegates with an interest in travel photography.

Soufra follows the unlikely and wildly inspirational story of intrepid social entrepreneur, Mariam Shaar – a generational refugee who has spent her entire life in the Burj El Barajneh refugee camp just south of Beirut, Lebanon. The film follows Mariam as she sets out against all odds to change her fate by launching a successful catering company, “Soufra,” and then expand it into a food truck business with a diverse team of fellow refugee woman who now share this camp as their home. Watch the trailer. 
Running time: 73 minutes.

With a focus on facilitated discussion rather than a lecture or presentation, delegates who attend this small-group dialogue will have the opportunity to ask questions, share knowledge, and connect with like-minded individuals with a passion for long-distance walking and biking trails. This Adventure Accelerator specifically explores the operations; management challenges unique to long-distance trails. Developed with the goal to empower local communities, delegates will be encouraged to share honest thoughts with one another about the challenges these trails are facing as they grow in number and popularity. Examined from both regional and international perspectives, delegates may learn “lessons from the field” by exploring a variety of trail types and locations and their uses, management structures, and maintenance strategies. The goal of this session will be to respectfully discuss the sustainability of long-distance trail management, seek to understand what’s missing in marketing and promotional efforts, brainstorm ways to monetize the trail systems, and more.

Participation is limited to 35 delegates. If you can commit to attending, open the AdventureNEXT Near East networking and mobile app and click “+Add to Schedule” to secure your participation.

Facilitator

The AdventureNEXT Marketplace features up to 40 inbound tour operators and accommodations from the Near East region with a spotlight on Jordan. It provides a focused setting for delegates to connect with potential partners, hold business meetings, and promote adventure brands. A global delegation of outbound tour operators, wholesalers, travel advisors, editorial media, and influencers attend Marketplace events for introductions to new companies and product development discussions.

Jordan’s adventure scene is thriving with potential, creativity, and innovation. While we acknowledge the success of energizing the adventure tourism market at AdventureNEXT Near East in 2019, the communities formed in businesses, governments, and media and among individuals are constantly searching for ways to do better, be better, and increase the bottom line, while building a more inclusive and sustainable economy. As CEO and founder of the first certified B Corporation in the Gulf, Mr. Samie Al-Achrafi understands the power of profit with purpose, by aligning business values and creating an intentional culture that supports strategic growth. If we are to continue developing sustainable tourism in the Near East region, we must collectively define what success looks like, both in the short and long term. As the 2019 AdventureNEXT Near East event draws to a close, delegates receive practical and inspirational insights on how to craft a vision and invest in a shared set of values in order to position this region as a thriving member of the adventure tourism sector for years to come.

Parting thoughts with ATTA/Adventure360’s CEO, Shannon Stowell.

The Jordan Tourism Board has been delighted to host the third annual AdventureNEXT Near East and to offer a fond farewell, you are invited to enjoy a night of culture, cuisine and celebration on the shores of the Red Sea. Arrival is by boat, so don’t miss the scenic networking cruise on the way to dinner! More details to be shared soon.