Haddad saw the need for agritourism first hand while serving as a tour guide at Jordan’s many archaeological wonders, including Petra: “every time I left a site in a rural community, my group and I would be bombarded by locals offering a home visit and wondering where the group was spending their money,” she remembers, noting that most tourism dollars go to travel companies based in Amman or to souvenir shops selling Chinese or Indian handicrafts. “I thought yes, they are very right, so why not take the visitors to their homes?”

That is why Haddad launched Bookagri in September 2016. Bookagri is a unique and interactive booking platform designed to connect visitors with authentic Jordanian culture and heritage. As Haddad explains, this was a critical gap in the country’s tourism sector. “When I was guiding, we were eating in restaurants that provided a Lebanese menu,” she says. “There was no opportunity to find out about rural life in Jordan.”

Now, Bookagri offers meaningful cultural experiences while employing more locals, empowering women and farmers, and boosting Jordan’s tourism reputation.

Bookagri is a pioneering agritourism development company that has positioned Jordan as a premier destination for agritourism. The platform offers a wide range of immersive farm activities and culinary adventures, connecting tourists with authentic experiences that were previously unavailable. With over 30 unique branded experiences across four destinations in four governorates, Bookagri fosters self-employment in rural areas, supports local farmers, and promotes a deeper appreciation for nature and sustainable farming.

The company’s mobile app, which is up and running on both Android and iOS, has now expanded to Lebanon, Tunisia, and Egypt, where you can already find a wide range of experiences, rural stays, and events. This makes it easy for travelers to find and book unique accommodations and adventures, using customizable filters for price, location, amenities, and interests. A community-driven review system also allows travelers to share their experiences and read firsthand feedback from fellow adventurers. From picturesque farmhouses to hands-on experiences in sustainable farming and traditional craftsmanship, Bookagri makes it easy to discover memorable escapes.

Bookagri’s core travel experiences involve visitors getting up close and personal with the lives of local farmers. In Jordan, travelers can participate in a variety of hands-on activities, from the Jordanian Farmer’s Life Experience, which includes milking a cow and interacting with doves, to a unique Salt experience where visitors learn traditional methods in Dierah/As-Salt. Other experiences include Fluffing wool for stitching and embroidery, and Glycerin soap making using natural herbs and plants.

Culinary activities are a cornerstone of the offerings. You can learn to make traditional Jordanian breads like Taboon or holiday bread with za’atar, or learn the ancestral secrets of Barley coffee roasting. Other experiences include a Mansaf cooking and eating experience and a Lemon harvest, where guests learn how to make an ancient “earth fridge” to store their produce. You can also learn how to make straw baskets from traditional materials.

Beyond Jordan, the platform offers an array of authentic activities in other countries. In Tunisia, visitors can attend a ceramic class to use a pottery wheel or learn about floral water distillation with a local producer. For food lovers, there is a market tour and fish lunch in Nabeul or a culinary workshop to make the flaky flatbread Mlawi and spicy Harissa. You can even visit a sheep’s milk cheesemaker’s farm to hike and witness the process firsthand. In Egypt, guests can join a hands-on cooking class at Okra Kitchen, which begins with a market tour to shop for fresh ingredients. In Lebanon, travelers can enjoy a traditional, hand-shaped pottery experience or visit the Maasser Donkey Farm for a rural life experience.

Haddad’s agritourism efforts are well timed. As Jordan’s population becomes more educated, many farmers are selling their land to cover tuition costs. By empowering locals to use their farm as a greater source of revenue, Haddad hopes they can see their land as a financially viable option.

Bookagri has also launched a weekly farmers’ market where small-scale producers, mostly women, sell artisanal items. As Haddad points out, while producing these items is not new, their professional presentation is. Bookagri works with farmers to create properly packaged and branded products, branded under the Bookagri name.
Um Hassan is one of the local farmers who sells at the Friday market. She produces za’atar and oregano mixes, as well as jams. Through her sales, she saved enough money for her daughter to afford transportation to Canada for a medical school scholarship. Another farmer, Um Nidal, received a donation from a visitor to buy a larger bread-making machine, an impact she attributes to the agritours.
The success stories of farmers like Um Hassan and Um Nidal—as well as each of the handpicked residents involved in Bookagri’s experiences—reinforce Haddad’s goal: to enhance what farmers have to offer by giving them the right tools and training.

“People have to invest in their natural resources, and agritourism is a way for more investment in the land, skills, and people,” Haddad says. “Agritourism is really a gold mine if people start it in the right way.” For Haddad, that is in Balqa Governorate today, but tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity.

Website: www.bookagri.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bookagrijo

Photos: Courtesy of Bookagri