Tourism sector has made strides since King’s Accession — stakeholders

AMMAN — Jordan has become a major tourism destination, thanks to efforts spearheaded by His Majesty King Abdullah, stakeholders told The Jordan Times.

Since His Majesty’s Accession to the Throne in 1999, he has made immeasurable efforts to improve the Kingdom’s tourism sector, Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Abed Razzaq Arabiyat said.

With the implementation of sustainable and distinctive tourism development policies, the Kingdom has managed to become a renowned destination in a short period of time, Arabyiat told The Jordan Times, adding that the boost has also had a positive impact on Jordanians’ standard of living.

The official noted several recent achievements in the sector, such as attracting airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet to Jordan.

The managing director also outlined the “Our Jordan is Paradise” programme, launched by Crown Prince Hussein, and meant to support domestic tourism.

As part of the programme, “the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in cooperation with the JTB, cover 40 per cent of trip expenses and provide free transportation for local tourists”, he said.

Arabiyat said that the number of tourists to Jordan had increased by 14 per cent in 2018, compared with 2017, and amounted to $5.4 billion in revenue.

“The media plays an important role in marketing and promoting tourism to the Kingdom,” Arabiyat stressed, adding that recently, the JTB launched marketing campaigns in Gulf countries to spur growth.

“Many economists describe tourism as an inexhaustible oil for Jordan,” the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) Chief Commissioner Suleiman Farajat said.

During King Abdullah’s reign, many of the PDTRA’s achievements in the sector were also made, Farajat told The Jordan Times.

His Majesty has facilitated the visits of top officials to the site, with guests including those from both Arab and non-Arab countries.

The visitors’ list includes former US president Barack Obama, UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a number of other visits by different heads of state, according to Farajat.

His Majesty’s keenness to support tourism in Petra shows through his repeated calls to preserve the site and its international status as a cultural gem, the chief commissioner said.

Promoting tourism is a continuous process King Abdullah has sponsored personally, by presenting Jordan, its people and its culture to the world, Yousef Zreagat, a tourism expert, told The Jordan Times.

Zreagat added that King Abdullah’s role since 1999, and his efforts since, had contributed to Petra being chosen as one of New Seven Wonders of the World.

His Majesty’s invitation to Pope John Paul II to visit Jordan in 2000 also led to the formation of international Christian pilgrimage sites in the Kingdom, such as the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ.

King Abdullah has also worked to cement Jordan as a destination for international films, Zreagat said.

The latest films shot in the Kingdom include “The Martian”, “Star Wars: Episode IX” and “Aladdin”, which were filmed in Wadi Rum.

In 2002, His Majesty personally led a Discovery Channel tour, in which he scuba-dived, and explored Petra, Wadi Rum and Jerash.