Jordan comes 77th in int’l tourism competitiveness

AMMAN — Jordan ranked 77th among world countries and 8th among countries of the region in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2015 Ranking issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF) this week.

Spain topped the 141 countries listed in the ranking, followed by France and Germany, while Chad came at the bottom of the list.

The Gulf countries, however, mostly topped countries of the region with the UAE ranked 1st (24th internationally), followed by Qatar (43rd), Bahrain (60th), Morocco (62nd) and Saudi Arabia (64th).

The resulting Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 provides a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue with the objective of achieving a strong and sustainable travel and tourism industry capable of contributing effectively to international economic development, according to WEF.

However, the regional unrest over the past few years has affected several countries of the region including Jordan.

The report divided the region’s countries into three groups: those which have created a strong business environment, developed sound infrastructure, grown specific niches and remained relatively safe as destinations (the top five countries in the list); those that maintain great tourism attractiveness, but have experienced safety and security concerns or infrastructure limitations (Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Lebanon); and those that are not leveraging enough their travel and tourism capacity (all the others).

Most countries in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the report, are price-competitive destinations and several have built significant travel and tourism industries in recent years. However, concerns about security — which, unlike in some other regions, are more related to terrorism and political instability than crime and violence — are causing some countries to see a reduction in international arrivals, even though secluded tourism resorts are far from the most dangerous areas.

It added that other common difficulties include low international openness, which may be connected to security concerns, and environmental sustainability, a dimension on which almost all countries in the region perform below the international average.

Despite the several attempts by The Jordan Times to contact sector representatives, they were not available for comment.

Previously, they blamed regional unrest for the drop in the number of arrivals and sector revenues since 2011.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Nayef Al Fayez has previously said the Daesh terrorist group has affected tourism in the region more than the so-called Arab Spring uprisings.

The minister reiterated that the country’s message to the world is that it is an oasis of stability and there is much to see in Jordan.

Meanwhile, the government recently adopted several measures to promote tourism including waiving visa fees for tourists of all nationalities coming through Jordanian tour operators and are to stay for more than two nights.

The government also decided to reduce electricity tariffs imposed on hotels to encourage competitive prices. A source at the Jordan Hotels Association said that the tariff has not been specified yet so that hoteliers cannot make any move before things are clear.  

Meanwhile, the WEF report ranked Jordan 41st in terms of safety and security, 59th in health and hygiene, 65th in human resources and labour market, 65th in ICT readiness, 19th in prioritisation of travel and tourism, 64th in international openness, 70th in price competitiveness, 84th in environmental sustainability, 72nd in air transport infrastructure, 82nd in port infrastructure, 69th in tourist service infrastructure, 126th in natural resources, and 118th in cultural resources and business travel.

According to the report, and despite the conflict in some countries of the world, it is notable that the travel and tourism sector has continued to grow over these past years.

International tourist arrivals reached a record 1.14 billion in 2014, exceeding by 51 million the figure recorded in 2013, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that the travel and tourism sector now accounts for 9.5 per cent of global GDP, a total of $7 trillion and 5.4 per cent of world exports.