Tourism income increased by 27.4% in 2023 — Central Bank of Jordan

AMMAN — In 2023, the Kingdom’s income from tourism increased by 27.4 per cent, according to the preliminary data issued by the Central Bank of Jordan.

The data showed that the country’s tourism income has reached JD7,409.7 million in 2023, up from JD5,253.5 in 2022, pointing that the number of tourists who visited Jordan in 2023, was up to 6,353,800 visitors.

Further, the data revealed that the number of visitors last year rose by around 25.8 per cent, when compared with the number of tourists in 2022.

Adding that tourism income last December, was nearly JD359.3 million, representing a decline of around 3.4 per cent when compared with the same month in 2022.

The slight decline in tourism revenue during December was due to a drop in the number of tourists which amounted to 416,600. Adding that tourism revenue amounted to $3.456 billion during the first six months of 2023,

Speaking with The Jordan Times over the phone, Firas Muhtaseb, an investor and tourism expert said that the effective use of marketing tools over the last couple of years has attracted significant numbers of tourists and has increased the likelihood of more visitors coming in person.

“When we visit other countries we started hearing more and more people interested in visiting Jordan…

even when we scroll through social media platforms we are seeing that Jordan is listed within the must-visit countries,” he said, adding that there is currently an increased awareness of Jordan being a touristic destination that has several major destinations such as Petra, Dead Sea, Wadi Rum and other historical sites.

For his part, Mahmoud Majali, owner of a travel agency office in Amman, said that the low-cost airlines and the current marketing strategies are the main reasons for the boom in the Kingdom’s tourism, noting that “Jordan’s tourism figures are expected to rise in 2024”.

He also told The Jordan Times that his business until late September had more demand for tours, with an increase of about 20 per cent when compared with 2022.