Jordan Times
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Terrorist attacks seen
having minimal impact on tourism industry
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN — The bomb attacks on the three hotels will have minimal impact on the
industry, tourism and hospitality authorities said on Friday.
Most visitors are maintaining their travel plans to the country as tourism
officials reported Friday little changes in current visitor traffic and upcoming
reservations to the Kingdom.
“We have been very encouraged by the signs we've been getting so far as we
continue to see tourists in the country and more on the way,” said Tourism and
Antiquities Minister Alia Hattough-Bouran.
Noting that the international community has extended its full support to the
Kingdom, Hattough-Bouran added that tourists themselves have become more
resilient to such attacks.
Hattough-Bouran was speaking while on the way to Petra where more than 1,900
tourists are currently visiting.
Two cruise ships, carrying nearly 300 businessmen from Jerusalem, just docked
into Aqaba on Friday also.
According to the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB), the Kingdom's main entity for
promoting the country abroad, the attacks were not going to impact tourism
heavily.
JTB Managing Director Mazen Hmoud told The Jordan Times that out of the eight
tour operators they are working with in Germany, only one reported a
cancellation.
Of the group of 65 German tourists set to come, only five asked to be shifted to
another country, he indicated.
Hmoud said the industry might experience a temporary “dip” from which it would
recover rapidly.
The JTB has been working around the clock since the attack helping those
inquiring about relatives and friends and tourists and providing its nine
branches worldwide with the needed information about developments and other
relevant data.
Hmoud said it was vital to provide tour operators with comprehensive and
credible information to help build the Kingdom's tourism industry further once
the situation gets back to usual.
Hmoud stressed that the JTB will be intensifying its promotional efforts with
press trips for foreign media writers and through participation at international
trade shows.
Jordan will be taking part in London's major World Travel Market on Sunday where
JTB will be working hard to promote the Kingdom.
The Grand Hyatt Hotel, which was targeted in the blasts this week, began
clean-up and repair activities and was taking the measures to provide support to
guests and employees who were injured, as well as families of victims.
Steps taken include assistance with medical expenses and grief counselling.
According to Grand Hyatt General Manager Otto Steenbeek, senior Hyatt executives
are arriving in Amman to oversee these efforts. Eight employees were killed in
the blast.
Steenbeek said the hotel is cooperating fully with the Jordanian authorities
conducting the investigation and will provide more information about victims
once it is available and approved for disseminating by the relevant authorities.
He said the attacks in Amman required a number of Hyatt hotels in other
countries to heighten their security levels.