Khaberni - Tourism and Antiquities Minister Imad Hegazin said on Saturday that tourism is a major contributor to the gross domestic product and noted that the tourist sector enjoys the networking ability with several sectors such as municipalities and transportation, noting that tourist investment in Jordan did not consider the specifics of the provinces, where investments are concentrated in Aqaba, the Dead Sea, and Amman.
Hegazin added, during a meeting held by the Jordanian Businessmen Association to discuss "Recovery and Sustainability of Jordanian Tourism", that a tourist product can be developed everywhere.
He reviewed the tourism markets targeted so far, noting the importance of opening new markets and focusing on Christian religious tourism, adding that Jordan can tap into Christian religious tourism markets in nearby areas such as the Gulf.
Hegazin said that the tourist product since the 1960s has not been developed as required despite the tourist advantage it enjoys, noting that Jordan boasts many places for Islamic religious tourism such as the locations of Mu'tah, which can be invested in.
He called for the necessity of air connectivity, pointing to a governmental financial allocation related to this connectivity, which achieves a tourist return.
Hegazin said that the challenges facing the sector include seasonality, where there are international markets with one season, and regional markets with another season, pointing to the importance of having festivals and tourism packages that stimulate tourism.
He mentioned challenges beyond control, such as wars, regional conditions, and pandemic situations like COVID-19, noting that tourism gets sick but does not die.
Hegazin talked about the financing challenge, where workers in the sector find difficulty in obtaining loans and financing, which requires addressing this aspect.
Hegazin emphasized that the sector faces challenges regarding human resources and the attractiveness of working in the tourism sector due to the lack of job security, such as health insurance and others.
Hegazin pointed out that there are workers who, after gaining skills, go to work abroad; he also stressed the need to develop education to keep up with what the sector has reached.
In turn, Head of the Businessmen Association Ayman Al-Alawneh said that the tourism sector in the Kingdom is one of the main pillars contributing to the growth of the national economy, and it was affected during the past two years by the geopolitical disturbances experienced by the region.
Al-Alawneh added that with the recovery of the situation in the region, Jordanian tourism gradually resumed its activity, where the tourist income during the first nine months of the current year reached nearly 6 billion dollars, recording an increase of 6.8% compared with the same period of the previous year. This improvement was driven by a package of supportive decisions and developmental initiatives that contributed to stimulating the sector, in addition to the increasing demand for Jordan from various tourism markets, which positively reflected on the performance indicators of the tourism sector that continued its upward trend steadily.
Al-Alawneh said: "We look forward to the tourism sector continuing its growth journey by enhancing the partnership between the public and private sectors, as it is one of the strategic axes for developing innovative tourism projects that contribute to the goals of economic modernization vision, through the employment of investments and technical and managerial expertise to develop a comprehensive tourism infrastructure including resorts, hotels, leisure, and cultural facilities."
He continued: "In addition to the projects focusing on medical and religious tourism, which experienced a decline over the past years, this orientation comes as part of the efforts aimed at restoring Jordan's position as a leading destination for medical tourism in the region, benefiting from advanced medical centers and high-quality health services, as well as the rich religious and historical attributes that make the Kingdom a distinctive destination for international visitors."
Al-Alawneh said that stimulation programs for tourism investment are considered a pivotal tool in supporting the sector's growth and enhancing its competitiveness, by offering attractive incentives to investors, creating new job opportunities, and developing local skills and competences, which contributes to reinforcing principles of economic sustainability and increasing the contribution of tourism to the gross domestic product.
Al-Alawneh said that enhancing the promotional efforts for tourism in the Kingdom and diversifying targeted markets come as part of the efforts aimed at establishing Jordan's position as a comprehensive tourist destination capable of attracting more visitors and investments.
He pointed out that restoring the tourism momentum and achieving the activity levels recorded by the sector before the year 2023 are among the most prominent goals, which reflects the great potential and high ability of the sector to continue its vital role in supporting the national economy and enhancing the path of sustainable development.
