Jordan Times
Sunday, November 5, 2006
New set of promotional tools to go on display at World Travel Market
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN — Representatives of Jordan’s tourism sector head to the World Travel Market (WTM) in London this week with a new set of promotional tools they say will reverse the present downswing in tourism to the country.
Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Managing Director Mazen Homoud said the delegation’s marketing and communication tools will mean a strong Jordanian presence at the WTM on Monday.
“We have several activities laid out for our participation at the WTM this year including meetings with industry officials, press conferences, new promotional materials and a new 500-square-metre pavilion in which to do it,” said Homoud.
“We also will be joined by a 24-member delegation of hoteliers, tour operators, representatives of Royal Jordanian and Raya Jet and other tourism industry officials who will be working to boost the industry’s performance,” he added.
Jordan’s participation at the four-day travel market is a key opportunity for the country’s tourism industry which needs to restore its position on the global tourism map after recent tensions in the region.
The country has already witnessed a 12.1 per cent decline in tourist arrivals on package tours in the first eight months of this year, with 192,055 visitors registered compared to 218, 520 in the same period of last year.
Prospects for an improvement in tourist arrivals also remain dim as travel agents report only a few bookings for the coming tourism season.
Concerned industry officials, however, are continuing to forge ahead to reverse the current negative trend by intensifying their promotions on a global scale.
Homoud said Jordan will be looking to enhance its business contacts with other industry professionals at the WTM as well as work on reversing the battered image of the region that is keeping travellers away.
“The WTM is an extremely important venue for us to rebuild the negative image of this region and restore traveller confidence here,” said Homoud.
“The main message we want to get across is that Jordan is a safe and secure country and that we are open for business,” he added.
The four-day event, the annual meeting place of key global industry players and senior tourism, travel and trade executives, provides a unique opportunity for the global travel trade industry to meet, network, negotiate, conduct business and stay abreast of the latest developments in the travel industry.
Last year, the WTM attracted a record breaking 48,211 professionals from across the tourism and travel industry.
According to Homoud, the JTB will be undertaking the international launch of the new tourism brand and accompanying promotional materials, which were unveiled here in October.
The Jordan pavilion will also feature a new stand design based on the new tourism brand, with colourful images depicting the various niche markets offered in the Kingdom and capturing the history, heritage and diversity of the country’s tourism product.
The design creates a practical and visible setting that also offers a suitable business environment and maximised privacy for its users, according to the JTB.
The new stand design will also be used in other international tour and travel exhibitions in 2007 and 2008.
While strong and effective tourism promotional schemes are vital for attracting a healthy flow of tourists to the country, travel agents’ knowledge of the country also has a crucial bearing on travel potential, Homoud told The Jordan Times.
“It’s a very simple equation,” he said.
“If the travel agent does not know much about Jordan, he or she will not sell Jordan,” he added.
As the country’s principal agency for promoting Jordan abroad, the JTB works hard to raise the Kingdom’s profile through its nine branches worldwide. It builds contacts and maintains close working relationships with travel agents and tour operators and conducts frequent familiarisation trips for foreign media to enhance their exposure to the country.
The JTB recently developed “The Jordan Destination Specialist,” course jointly with the American Society of Travel Agents to ensure travel agents have a sound knowledge-base to influence travel plans of potential visitors.
The course, which was accredited by the Travel Institute, provides certified travel associates, counsellors and industry executives with the opportunity to learn more about Jordan, its key historical developments and current cultural and tourism characteristics.
Participants will learn how to identify features of key destinations and develop strategies for selling Jordan, including how to find customers, plan itineraries and handle clients’ concerns and questions about travelling to the country. On completion of the course content, application activities and specialist exams, agents will earn a certificate designating them as Jordan travel specialists.