Jordan's Aqaba becomes first Arab city to win international award for green tourism

• Aqaba is the first Arab city to win the Bronze Award from Green Destinations.
• The award was announced at the International Green Destinations Conference in France.
• ASEZA focuses on environmental protection, eco-friendly infrastructure, and sustainable tourism.
• Aqaba Bird Observatory won awards in 2023 and 2024.

Aqaba has become the first Arab city to receive international recognition for green tourism, winning the Bronze Award from the Green Destinations Organization.

The accolade was announced during the International Green Destinations Conference, held from September 28 to 30 in Montpellier, France, and highlights the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority’s (ASEZA) efforts to promote sustainable tourism.

ASEZA Commissioner for Tourism and Youth Affairs, Thabet Nabulsi, said the award “reflects an integrated strategic vision based on seven priorities, including protection of marine and terrestrial environments, investment in eco-friendly infrastructure, and promotion of sustainable tourism that balances economic growth with conservation.”

Nabulsi pointed to Aqaba’s ongoing achievements in sustainable tourism, including the Aqaba Bird Observatory’s second-place award at the 2023 Berlin Travel and Tourism Exhibition and its consecutive second-place finish in the 2024 Best 100 Stories competition for “Strategic Planning for Wreck Disposal in the Gulf of Aqaba.”

Jordanian participation at the conference included Thelma Radwan, head of ASEZA’s Tourism Product Development Department, who delivered a keynote on “Sustainable Diving in Aqaba.” She highlighted the city’s potential as a leading ecotourism and responsible diving destination.

Radwan added that the Bronze Award “demonstrates international recognition of Aqaba’s practical initiatives to become a model for green tourism, leveraging its strategic Red Sea location and natural assets to advance the regional blue economy.”