On Amman

Im back to Amman for a short break, and its fair to say that when you revisit a place, the contrast is at its best in the beginning and I noted little things that I thought are blog worthy about Amman :

The Airport
- everytime I step out of the plane going throuh the walkway to Queen Alia airport, I find the same Arab Bank advertisments, I shrug and I tell myself " not much changed " its been this way since 2009 with this ad........? its too grey and the walkway is grey :( why not say something about Jordan and Tourism, just make ppl smile =)

enough with Zain, Arab Bank .. seriously!
- the least thing one can do for the current terminals in use, while the new airport is under construction, is to keep em clean, like grout between floor tiles is dirty, , I dont mind the terminal being old, its fine, (check Abu Dhabi's Airport) but what I consider a big no no is the walls being REALLY dirty and the CCTV wires being exposed, a simple painting job can make a huge difference with some plants and greenery, the space gets a different feel. The Airport is a facade for what to expect when you visit Jordan, and it must be well maintained. don't spend millions, just maintain ok.

The Roads

who the hell is the contracting entity responsible for maintaining streets in Amman, the streets condition is awful,, not to mention the nonexisting road marking on secondary roads, insufficient lux levels, and lack of road planning. it is in a miserable state, not a SINGLE road is in good condition, maybe the asphalt application method as a system and road planning standards need to be revised, who are your contractors dear government? or is it done inhouse?

Film Festival and Festivals in general

I know we all love free screenings around the year and especially outdoor ones at the heart of Amman in summer, but don't you think its time to widen the circle a bit and seek a wider spectrum of fans for cultural film by creating an event that all Jordanians look forward to on their calendars, covering foreign, local, controversial, short, documentary, children movies.

we can make use of the Zara/City Mall Cinemas and other screening houses around town, print/sell tickets and make an extensive program of films over a week and bring the producers/leading cast for cultural film and generate public reviews, opinions, and spark some curiosity. I think it will be big in Jordan and its very easy to do, you have 1st circle, jabal qal3a, downtown, hussein cultural center and cinemas all over Jordan.. ( you can make free screenings / gala screenings / premiers / screening at malls ) and let the stars visit our beloved Jordan ........ why not?????

- Dubai Has Mudhish and Freej roaming around the city during shopping and cultural festivals, we need a character for Jordan that kids relate with other than Abu Mahjoob =)

also, starting an extensive literature festival is a good idea, nurturing the minds with books and thoughts is worth a thousand awareness campaign =)

ON HAVING FUN

- Is there any insider guide to Amman ? (a blackbook of Amman or something?) I hardly found anything except some comedy events fof Eid ! =/

- Is there anything like "timeout Amman" ? an online portal to know whats happening around the capital, selling tickets and reviewing new places and uprising hot spots, what to expect in few months ??

I know you will say, the economic crisis is hiting us hard and prices are inflated and people are tired, I agree, but how can you minimise this efflect, how are we creating jobs anyways? you need to create demand and thats why you need to sell your brand and put yourself on the map.

Arts and Tourism are a good start.

though this is not what i wanted to blog about, I wanted to write about something totally different but here is where it ends for today