International aid to tourism planning and stakeholder participation in the Petra region

This study calls into question whether international aid agencies have involved relevant stakeholders in the tourism development planning process of the Petra region. The paper determines the advantages of the stakeholders’ participation in the tourism planning and development process by reviewing related literature; then, an intensive desk research has been performed to the localization of the study, to establish a platform to answer the study’s question. The study relies on a qualitative data analysis, by conducting a deductive direct content analysis of the planning documents of the Petra region throughout the period of 1968–2014. Inviting the international organization to address development plans did not help the region’s stakeholders to reap the rewards, because the stakeholders did not participate effectively in the planning process. Moreover, the study revealed several barriers to stakeholders’ participation in the region. This study contributes to the advantages of the stakeholders’ integration in the tourism development planning process also it sheds the light on different barriers to tourism planning.