Jordan Times
Thursday, August 31, 2006
3.39m tourists visit between January and July
AMMAN Jordan continued to witness a healthy flow of tourist traffic
into the country, with overall visitor arrivals rising by 8.2 per cent
in the first seven months of this year compared to the same period of
last year.
According to preliminary figures released by the Ministry of Tourism
(MoT), a total of 3.39 million tourists visited the country between
January and July, up from 3.13 million in that same period of 2005.
The revenue generated by tourism also increased by 8.4 per cent,
reaching JD593.5 million compared to JD547.4 million last year,
according to the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ).
An industry source said these preliminary figures were positive indicators for the sector.
The increase in visitor numbers and the subsequent rise in tourism
receipts definitely reflects the good performance of the sector so far
this year, the source told The Jordan Times yesterday.
The Kingdom continues to attract both foreign and Arab tourists, whether
as individuals or on package tours, he added.
According to the figures, Arab and Gulf tourists again topped the list of
overall arrivals in the first seven months of this year.
Some 2.52 million Arab and Gulf tourists visited Jordan between January
and July this year a 7.1 per cent increase compared to 2.35 million last year.
Foreign tourists also increased by 12.7 per cent during the first seven months
of this year 561,009 compared to 497,868 in the same period of 2005.
These figures, constituting both same-day and overnight visitors, are promising
overall in terms of the business activity and subsequent revenue generated for the industry.
CBJ figures showed that expenditure by foreign and Arab tourists totalled JD245.9
million in this period a 4.5 per cent increase compared to 2005.
Figures showed there were 1.718,063 million same-day visitors compared to 1.677,489
million overnight visitors between January and July this year.
This figure includes Gulf tourists in transit to neighbouring vacation destinations
such as Lebanon and Syria, and foreign tourists on package tours to the region.
Industry observers have in the past expressed concern about the potential losses in
revenue that could be gained from overnight stays.
According to the tourism official, it was a misconception that same-day visitors are
not as lucrative as overnight visitors.
He said the length of stay does not impact revenue as much as has been purported,
noting that same-day visitors pay entry fees and do spend money, even if they are in the
country for a few hours.
Efforts to promote Jordan as a stand-alone destination have not been successful as most
foreign tourists visit other countries as well.
Most package deals include joint destinations with Syria, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus,
and resorts such as Taba and Sharm El Sheikh.
Although the number of same-day foreign tourists rose 15.4 per cent in the first seven
months of this year, the number of overnight foreign tourists also rose 11.6 per cent in the same period.
The number of Arab overnight visitors, however, dropped 0.6 per cent compared to the same
period of last year.
According to the MoT, instabilities in the region this year also contributed to a drop in
revenue generated by Arab and Gulf tourists, which fell 1.3 per cent in July due to the Israeli
attack on Lebanon.
Still, tourism receipts from Arab tourists, both same-day and overnight, increased 6.2 per
cent between January and July, totalling JD302.33 million.