.jpg)
.jpg)
Young nature lovers clean country’s tourist sites while hiking
By Huda Dabeet, Jordan News
- +
- -
AMMAN — The
youthful Eco Hikers initiative was founded in 2018 by Nader Manaseer, to clean
and beautify Jordan's sites during trail hiking, with the goal of creating a
clean, waste-free country and promoting tourist locations.اضافة اعلان
Young volunteers taking part in the Eco Hikers initiative collect waste at various tourist locations around Jordan. (Photos: Handouts from Eco Hikers)
“I love hiking a lot, and I used to go to beautiful places in my country. Every time I shared photos of undiscovered tourist destinations in Jordan on social media, I was amazed by how many people contacted me to inquire about visiting these locations,” Nader Manaseer, founder of Eco Hikers, said in an interview with Jordan News.
“Then I noticed that these places have a lot of waste, so I decided that I and the people who want to go visit these places would clean them,” he added. After Manaseer posted photographs of the cleaning campaign on social media, a large group of young volunteers joined the initiative, and many young people indicated a willingness to help with the cleanup.
“Eco Hikers can be described as a tourism, cultural, environmental, and sporting initiative,” Manaseer added.
Eco Hikers also focuses on exploring nature and scenic places in various cities and sites across the Kingdom. The most important goal for Eco Hikers however, according to Manaseer, remains to support nature by reducing waste.
Young volunteers taking part in the Eco Hikers initiative collect waste at various tourist locations around Jordan. (Photos: Handouts from Eco Hikers)
“The members of Eco Hikers are trying to raise awareness among citizens about the danger of littering and how it really affects the environment, and all of them are working in order to clean up Jordan’s trash-littered trails,” Manaseer said.
Soon, Eco Hikers was getting a lot of attention, that it started attracting high-profile participants, such as the French ambassador to Jordan, who participated with Eco Hikers in the waste removal process at a forest near Jerash.
“We have partnerships with the Ministry of Environment and most foreign embassies in Jordan,” the founder noted.
The founder added that a number of Jordanians are totally unaware of many tourist attractions, so organizations such as Eco Hikers seek to promote these destinations and introduce locals and foreign tourists to them.
“Walking, hiking, enjoying nature, and getting to know new places and cultures are among the entertaining things that everyone can do on top of cleaning the environment. Moreover, Eco Hikers supports local tourism and the local community,” he said.
According to Manaseer, the role of Eco Hikers is not limited to reducing waste, Eco Hikers also enhances the exchange of language and culture between Jordanians and foreigners who participate in the trips.
Supporting the local community is also one of Eco Hikers’ missions, the founder added.
“The number of individuals who attend is quite large, including both locals and foreigners, with some trips attracting more than 100 people,” Manaseer said.
“But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people who can attend is limited.”
Manaseer added that certain sites require multiple visits due to the large amount of waste there.
Read more Trending
Young volunteers taking part in the Eco Hikers initiative collect waste at various tourist locations around Jordan. (Photos: Handouts from Eco Hikers)
“I love hiking a lot, and I used to go to beautiful places in my country. Every time I shared photos of undiscovered tourist destinations in Jordan on social media, I was amazed by how many people contacted me to inquire about visiting these locations,” Nader Manaseer, founder of Eco Hikers, said in an interview with Jordan News.
“Then I noticed that these places have a lot of waste, so I decided that I and the people who want to go visit these places would clean them,” he added. After Manaseer posted photographs of the cleaning campaign on social media, a large group of young volunteers joined the initiative, and many young people indicated a willingness to help with the cleanup.
“Eco Hikers can be described as a tourism, cultural, environmental, and sporting initiative,” Manaseer added.
Eco Hikers also focuses on exploring nature and scenic places in various cities and sites across the Kingdom. The most important goal for Eco Hikers however, according to Manaseer, remains to support nature by reducing waste.
Young volunteers taking part in the Eco Hikers initiative collect waste at various tourist locations around Jordan. (Photos: Handouts from Eco Hikers)
“The members of Eco Hikers are trying to raise awareness among citizens about the danger of littering and how it really affects the environment, and all of them are working in order to clean up Jordan’s trash-littered trails,” Manaseer said.
Soon, Eco Hikers was getting a lot of attention, that it started attracting high-profile participants, such as the French ambassador to Jordan, who participated with Eco Hikers in the waste removal process at a forest near Jerash.
“We have partnerships with the Ministry of Environment and most foreign embassies in Jordan,” the founder noted.
The founder added that a number of Jordanians are totally unaware of many tourist attractions, so organizations such as Eco Hikers seek to promote these destinations and introduce locals and foreign tourists to them.
“Walking, hiking, enjoying nature, and getting to know new places and cultures are among the entertaining things that everyone can do on top of cleaning the environment. Moreover, Eco Hikers supports local tourism and the local community,” he said.
According to Manaseer, the role of Eco Hikers is not limited to reducing waste, Eco Hikers also enhances the exchange of language and culture between Jordanians and foreigners who participate in the trips.
Supporting the local community is also one of Eco Hikers’ missions, the founder added.
“The number of individuals who attend is quite large, including both locals and foreigners, with some trips attracting more than 100 people,” Manaseer said.
“But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people who can attend is limited.”
Manaseer added that certain sites require multiple visits due to the large amount of waste there.
Read more Trending
