"As per the current legislation requirements, all tourism service providers are mandated to join the association which represents their respective sector in order to obtain the necessary licensing and work permit. The Tourism Law No. 20 for 1988 mandates the establishment of tourism associations as well as membership of tourism entities (as defined by article 2 of Tourism Law No. 20).

As part of the Tourism Law revision currently taking place, it was proposed to introduce amendments to the tourism associations’ status by either:
o Eliminating the mandatory requirement of establishing those associations under the Tourism Law therefore; liquidate the current associations and transfer their assets and liabilities to new associations established under the NGO Law No. 33 of 1966.
o Or; to eliminate the mandatory membership requirements and keep the associations registered under the tourism law.

This report was prepared to assess the Tourism Associations’ financial sustainability in the course that the mandatory membership is eliminated and to define the types of their available assets and liabilities. The assessment covered four associations established and regulated under the Tourism Law:
o Jordan Hotel Associations (JHA)
o Jordan Restaurants Association (JRA)
o Jordan Tour Guides Association (JTGA)
o Jordan Society for Tour and Travel Agents (JSTTA)

Note: There was no financial information available for the "Jordan Handicrafts Producers Association (JHPA)" and the "Jordan Society for Handicrafts Producers and Retailers (JSHPR)"; therefore they were excluded from this assessment.

The assessment also included the newly established Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Associations (JITOA), which is currently the only tourism association registered under the NGOs Law No. 33 for 1966, and has a voluntary membership status." (Chemonics International Inc., 2005)