ABSTRACT
Recent international events such as Brussels bombing and the terrorist attacks in Paris have stressed the importance of issues related to terrorism, personal safety, and instability on tourism. Jordan, as a major tourism destination in the Middle East, is relatively safe. However, its tourism industry has been negatively impacted by the political instability and the constant occurrence of on-going geopolitical crises in the Middle East region. One of the main strategies to respond to this challenge is to invite western travel writers to experience Jordan and to promote the destination via travel articles. Thus, using Jordan as the case, the purpose of this study was to examine the representation of Jordan as a travel destination within travel media and to discuss travel writers’ roles as risk brokers during unstable times. A qualitative framing analysis was conducted on travel feature articles published in five national newspapers from five countries (US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, and Australia) over a 10-year period. Results of the analysis revealed that Jordan was framed as a typical heritage tourism destination, with natural and cultural resources featured. Findings further revealed that safety emerges as one of the major issues that contemporary travel articles were concerned about. Based on the findings, travel writers’ role as risk brokers was addressed. The article also discussed the importance for tourism policy-makers to emphasize risk management during unstable times.
