Jordan Times
Sunday, May 8, 2005
Tourism revenues up as
international visitors flock to historical sites
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN — Tourists visiting the Kingdom's
historical sites have given the industry a promising start this year with
revenues reaching JD1.55 million for the first quarter.
Revenues generated from tourist sites across the country in the first three
months of 2004 increased by 166 per cent compared to the same period last year,
Ministry of Tourism (MoT) figures revealed.
Most of the activity was centred at the country's main historical sites such as
Petra, which accounted for 85 per cent of total revenues generated during the
first three months of this year.
Petra continues to lead the field in attracting international travelers and
those on package tours.
The city witnessed a 93.1 per cent increase in the number of tourists in 2004,
compared to the previous year.
According to official figures, revenues generated from Petra tourism receipts in
the first three months of 2005 reached JD1.3 million.
Malek Amarat, head of the Tourism Department in Petra told The Jordan Times
recently that the area has continued to see a high turnout of visitors since the
beginning of this year.
The ministry's quarterly figures for tourists are yet to be published, but
according to the latest available figures, Petra attracted just over 100,000
visitors during the first three months of this year.
Tourism Minister Alia Bouran recently said the country was witnessing a rise in
tourist numbers with visitors increasing their average length of stay to seven
nights.
The Kingdom has also seen an increase in European and American travellers who
shied away from the Middle East over recent years due to the regional
instability.
Visitors from the United States and Europe increased by 25.2 per cent and 13.5
per cent respectively in 2004 compared to the previous year.
The increase in tourists arriving on packaged tours shot up by 74 per cent
during the same period, with the number of nights spent increasing from 647,456
in 2003 to 1.3 million in 2004.
The Kingdom is currently stepping up its efforts to meet the tourism strategy's
goal of attracting 2 million visitors each year from now until 2010.
In the meantime, the ministry is examining plans to bring its tourist measuring
mechanism in line with international standards.
The Central Bank of Jordan, which calculates the figures, had noted a
discrepancy in the calculation method as the ministry uses a mechanism that
dates back to 1998.
Tourism Minister Alia Hattough-Bouran had said a new survey based on the
international mechanism would cost approximately JD400,000.