SCHEP proudly supported the establishment of the Jordan Southern Ghawr Company, led by former Ghawr as Safi site steward Nayef Shamalat and local community member Abdeljawad Oshibat. The company seeks to develop alternative tourism to the entire Dead Sea area, focusing on agritourism and introducing visitors to a truly locally focused experience. This company currently hosts a number of farm-to-table style excursions, a dramatic shift from typical tourist activities near the Dead Sea, which have traditionally focused on luxury hotels and spa experiences. By creating a new type of Dead Sea experience, the project has the potential to attract an entirely different type of visitor and expand the current visitors’ understanding of the culture, cuisine, and history of the Dead Sea region.
One initiative of the South Valley Company for Sustainable Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development is Safi Kitchen, a community-led project that allows Jordanian and international tourists to spend a day learning about local culture and preparing a delicious meal. Ghawr as Safi is primarily an agricultural community, home to a diverse group of Jordanians who live alongside refugee and migrant communities. Now, tourists are able to come learn about this unique part of Jordan through food and community. This is an entirely new farm-to-table experience, providing jobs for the local community directly through the Safi Kitchen, as well as by bringing tourists to an under-visited area that includes many important cultural heritage destinations. Safi Kitchen is the passion project of SCHEP’s Site Stewards at Ghawr as Safi, and we are proud to support them and maximize the potential that SCHEP training can provide.