Jordan ranked 9th globally in tourist destinations with the best growth in tourism receipts growth during the first seven months of 2023, as the inbound visitor growth rate reached 23%, compared to the number of visitors for the same period in 2019, United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) announced. UNWTO World Tourism Barometer said Middle East region, which enjoys multiple “exceptional” tourist destinations, achieved the best results globally in tourism receipts growth, exceeding levels before Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, by rates amounting to 20%. In a statement Saturday, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said this achievement was due to His Majesty King Abdullah II’s directives to the government to pay attention to Jordan’s tourism sector as a “key” driver of economic growth, in addition to several basic factors implemented by the ministry to limit Covid-19 pandemic effects. The ministry noted the strategy aimed to enable Jordan’s tourism sector to overcome Covid-19-induced damage, improve its revenues, and increase its contribution to the national economy, by increasing the inbound tourist number, raising its total incomes and raising direct employment in the industry. The ministry said measures taken by the government to preserve the tourism sector as a result of the pandemic, were primarily implementing intensive foreign marketing campaigns, coupled with operating flights from new destinations via low-cost airlines. In this regard, the ministry also referred to government efforts at all levels in partnership with the private sector and concerned authorities, which had a “remarkable” impact on attracting “large” numbers of tourists to the Kingdom. The ministry announced number of visitors to the Kingdom achieved a “remarkable” increase and “unprecedented” levels, compared to the same period in previous years, which stood in the first eight months of 2023 at about 4,503,537 guests, marking an increase of 41.9%, compared to the same period in 2022. The Kingdom achieved an increase in the number of overnight tourists during the first eight months of 2023, by 38.5%, compared to the same period in 2022, bringing their number to 3,756,538 guests and tourism income for the same period stood at JD3,651 billion, according to official statistics.
Source: Jordan News Agency