Tourism sector registers improvement in first eight months of 2014

AMMAN — The performance of the tourism sector has improved over the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year despite local and regional challenges, according to Tourism Minister Nidal Katamine.

The sector’s revenues between January and August amounted to JD2.15 billion, a 10 per cent increase, with over 3.7 million tourists and overnight visitors, according to the ministry’s figures.

The total number of tourists includes 2.8 million overnight visitors, a figure that increased by 4 per cent compared to last year, accompanied by a 12 per cent increase in hotel stays. 

In a recent interview with The Jordan Times, Katamine said the improvement in the sector’s performance was the result of several measures the ministry took to avoid an “expected drop” in the number of tourists due to political instability in the region. 

Although most of the Kingdom’s visitors during the first eight months of 2014 were Jordanian expatriates (800,000 visitors), the number of tourists from Arab countries exceeded 1 million, including around 500,000 citizens of Arab Gulf countries. The ministry has established service stations along main roads to tourist attractions in the governorates, which employ graduates in the field of tourism and antiquities, in cooperation with the Labour Ministry.

“The ministry coordinated with travel agencies, urging them to promote tourism in the governorates,” Katamine said, noting that visitors to the ancient Roman city of Jerash, some 48km north of Amman, increased by 19 per cent, while those to Karak and Madaba rose by 15 per cent each, while the ancient Nabataean city of Petra remained the most visited site, according to official figures.

Moreover, the ministry is promoting Jordan as a destination for religious tourism and has been working to facilitate the movement of tourists through border crossings, Katamine said.

He highlighted the Kingdom’s significance to Christians, as it is where Jesus Christ was baptised and houses five Christian pilgrimage sites accredited by the Vatican, adding that it is home to around 300 churches from several historical eras.

“A large number of the sites mentioned in the Bible are located in Jordan,” the minister said, highlighting the importance of identifying and documenting these places to make them accessible to followers of all Christian sects.

He underscored the large number of tombs of Prophet Mohammad’s companions, which attract Muslim tourists.

Many major Muslim battles and historical events also took place in Jordan, he added. 

Meanwhile, the Tourism Ministry is pinning hopes on transit tourism as a chance to introduce transit passengers to the country’s tourist attractions and archaeological sites, according to Katamine. 

“Recently, a travel agency started organising trips to tourist attractions near the Queen Alia International Airport, including Madaba and the Dead Sea, for travellers with connecting flights in Jordan,” he said.

Katamine added that transit tourism resulted in increasing in the number of tourists by 1,400, a figure that is expected to rise further in the near future, since 34 travel agencies are in the process of getting work permits, in addition to the one that already deals with transit tourists.

Jordan is supposed to be the main destination for Arab tourists, as many tourism destinations in the Arab world are unstable due to regional conflicts, such as Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, but “the fierce resistance to change is worrisome”, the minister said. 

He added that the Kingdom is preparing to receive a large number of visitors from Gulf countries over the Eid Al Adha holiday.

Commenting on the challenges facing the sector, Katamine noted that the ministry needs qualified staff in order to maximise the efforts in promoting the country and attracting tourists.

“Jordan has a large variety of sites that belong to over five major historical empires, and they need to be promoted further.”