Jordan Times
Friday, August 27, 2004
Tourism figures reveal
upward trend
The Kingdom saw a rise in the number of tourists to the country in the first
half of this year,
with a 30.8 per cent increase in overall arrivals compared to the same period in
2003
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN — While the Kingdom still faces a tourism slump, official figures show
promise as the number of nights spent by foreign visitors in Jordan in the first
half of this year more than doubled, compared to the same period in 2003.
The number of nights spent by nonresidents in Jordan between January and June
rose by 53 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to the
Ministry of Tourism (MoT).
The ministry's figures reveal that foreign, or non-resident tourists spent a
total of 1,495,933 nights in the first six months of 2004 compared to 976,603
last year.
The Kingdom saw a rise in the number of tourists to the country in the first
half of this year, with a 30.8 per cent increase in overall arrivals compared to
the same period in 2003. The number of tourists who spent the night also
increased by 35 per cent in that time frame during the first six months of this
year, while “same day” visitors increased by 22.6 per cent.
Official figures, however, reveal that while the number of foreigners spending
the night has increased, Jordanians are spending less on hotel accommodation.
According to the MoT, the nights spent by residents in the first half of this
year dropped by nearly 22 per cent compared to the same period last year.
The number of nights spent by residents between January and June dropped from
450,306 to 351,938 in the same period of last year.
Jordan has been working hard to shake off the tourism slump that has placed a
significant strain on the Kingdom's hospitality sector and related service
industries.
The Jordan Tourism Board (JTB), a public-private sector partnership, last year
spent JD300,000 on “Petra Charm,” — subsidised room-rate package — in Petra to
help boost tourism there.
The package deal has attracted more than 25,000 Jordanians since it was
launched. Due to its success, Petra Charm was resumed by the JTB again in June
and will last until the end of August.
Tourist sites
Receipts generated from tourist sites across the Kingdom also rose by 366 per
cent during the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year.
Madaba and Um Qais in particular witnessed more than a five-fold increase in
tourist visitors during the said time frame.
Some 45,693 tourists came to Madaba in the first half of this year compared to
7,049 in the same period last year.
Tourists to Um Qais jumped to a staggering 153,564 visitors compared to just
22,197 in the first six months of 2003.
The ancient Nabataean city of Petra also saw some gains in tourist numbers,
which rose by 237.3 per cent in the first half of 2004 compared to the same
period in 2003.
The Baptism Site, a popular Site for Christian pilgrims, however, only
registered a 2.2 per cent increase in tourist visits in that comparative period.