Dec. 31--AMMAN -- Hanna Hanania takes pride in his silver shop, carrying on a craft that was handed down from his father and grandfather.

Despite its location on Artisan Street, the path between the Archaeological Park and the famous Church of St. George, his shop was often overlooked by tourists.

Now with a new store-front and equipment, his humble workshop has turned into a modern shop showcasing his antique jewellery.

"I can finally share with visitors what we have been doing for hundreds of years," he noted, adding that using traditional designs should attract visitors to Madaba.

All this was made possible due to the Madaba Enterprise Development Programme (MEDP). Sponsored by the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project (JTDP), the programme provided grants and technical assistance to shops, hotels and restaurants to upgrade their facilities and services to place Madaba on the global tourism map.

The programme, which began in summer 2006, provides a combination of grants, access to finance and counselling support to businesses and entrepreneurs in the enhancement and creation of sustainable tourism products and services.

Dozens of grants, each worth up to $25,000, were provided to four hotels, nine restaurants and cafes, 16 handicraft shops and the Turkish baths in downtown Madaba.

"It has been a collaborative effort supporting local entrepreneurs and investors to show that Madaba deserves to be a primary destination," USAID/JTDP official Rawan Atallah told The Jordan Times.

Abu Daqer was another entrepreneur who got the chance to boost her business. She originally had learned the craft of mosaics through a social development programme. Now she runs her own shop in a central location on Artisan Street and employs several women in mosaic production. Daqer used a grant to expand and renovate her shop and establish an area for tourists to come and view mosaic work. She even works together with Hanania, her next-door neighbour, to produce mosaic pieces set with silver.

"This programme has helped us so much. People will know our shop owners are local, our employees are local and our products are local. This is Madaba," the mother of three said.

In addition to rehabilitating facilities and services, MEDP has provided advertising and marketing assistance, designing and printing brochures and erecting revamped storefront facades in English.

Perhaps the most important efforts, according to Atallah, were upgrading and establishing hotels to encourage more travellers to stay overnight. As of next year, five affordable hotels with the latest amenities will serve Madaba tourists.

The Mariam Hotel, the town's oldest, is using an MEDP grant to build an additional two stories to add eight rooms, purchase new kitchen equipment, furnishings and install a wireless Internet network.

The Salome Hotel, a family-run establishment which opened in 2005, used a grant to build 10 new rooms, a recreation centre and even an outdoor terrace with wireless Internet.

An MEDP grant was also used to establish the Mosaic City Hotel, which will offer budget lodging in the downtown area. The hotel, which will feature 21 rooms and a restaurant, will open some time next year.

Another grant was used to establish nine hotel suites in central Madaba, which will provide visitors with apartment-like rooms complete with kitchenettes. The suites, which will be completed by next summer, will give tourists further options for overnight stays.

In conjunction with the World Bank, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Madaba Municipality are also developing plans to pedestrianise Artisan Street to beautify the area and accompany the foot-traffic of large tour groups. Construction on the revamped street, which witnesses some 150,000 tourists annually, should be under way some time next year.

A remaining obstacle to breathing life into downtown Madaba is getting tour operators on board, according to Atallah. Most often, large tour operators bring buses of tourists to only one or two "mega-shops" that sell mostly manufactured goods from outside countries such as India and China.

Atallah stressed that it is important to make these operators aware of the new and improved products and services, and promote places that actually support the local community.

Another difficulty is that tour operators ask for hefty commissions from shops for steering customers in their direction, something many of the new start-up businesses cannot afford.

Hanania, however, did not appear to be worried about attracting tourists.

"We have culture and history, and with new shops and restaurants," he pointed out. "They will come," Hanania added.

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