The geographic distribution of conferences in Jordan from 2014 to 2016 using predictive GIS modeling

Due to the continuous and rapid expansion of conference tourism and its paramount role in the economic growth of the host countries like Jordan, this study comes to track the geographic distribution of conferences for the years 2014–2016. The main goal of the study is to direct the locations of future conferences to less favored areas that are marginalized and poor. Spatial statistics and Geographic Information System Predictive Modeling (GISPM) are used to calculate the potential locations of conferences based on predefined criteria. The results indicate that the current locations of most of the conferences are concentrated in the northern and middle parts of the country. The GISPM results recommend the eastern and southern locations taking into consideration the socioeconomic development of host communities. The study offers other recommendations addressing managers, event planners, event organizers, conference stakeholders, and the enterprises as well as academic researchers in tourism planning and development.