Urdun Jannah tourism programme temporarily suspended amid surge in local virus infections

AMMAN — The Ministry of Tourism on Saturday decided to stop the Urdun Jannah domestic tourism programme for three days after a surge in local coronavirus cases. 

Local tourism stakeholders said the sector is “now witnessing a fall after a high”.

The Jannah.Jo website announced that it has temporarily stopped booking trips for three days for “sterilisation and other health precautions”.

The programme attracted more than 104,000 participants within less than two months. Despite reports about its suspension, the Ministry of Tourism affirmed that the cessation of its services is “only temporary”.

Launched under the slogan “Our Jordan is Good,” the Urdun Jannah programme aimed to stimulate domestic tourism in light of the exceptional circumstances imposed by the pandemic such as the suspension of commercial air travel and the absence of inbound tourism.

On Saturday, Minister of Health Saad Jaber, announced that 44 new virus cases were recorded, including 29 local cases, bringing the cumulative number of cases to 1576 cases. 

The Ministry of Tourism affirmed that if a lockdown were to be enforced in a governorate, only trips to and from that governorate would be cancelled.

However, stakeholders in the domestic tourism sector, including tourist agencies, tourist guides, locally owned hotels and resorts as well as tourist transportation companies voiced their disappointment in “another recession” after a two-month increase in domestic tourism activities.

“Just as we were recovering from the months of lockdown and the absence of foreign tourists, with locals choosing us an alternative, we are now witnessing yet another wave of cancelled reservations and slow business,” said an owner of a camp in Wadi Rum who preferred to remain anonymous.

The camp’s owner said that his business as well as a number of others in Wadi Rum witnessed a “revival” after citizens started “turning to local vacation options since their usual destinations such as Turkey, Egypt and Europe are no longer reachable.”

More than 10 reservations have been cancelled the past few days, noted the owner, citing citizens’ virus concerns.

Tourist guides were among those affected, too. In a Facebook group titled “Jordan’s Tourist Guides,” Khalid Sammour, a tourist guide, said that he feels “helpless as one’s financial income depends on a fluctuating factor”.