Tourism deserves more investments

The tourism industry in Jordan is, obviously, rosy and flourishing in terms of revenues generated by an ever increasing number of incoming tourists.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) confirmed on Monday that tourism revenues reached JD3.455 billion in the first 11 months of the year. During the same period last year, the revenues from this sector were JD3.22 billion, while in 2016, the figure stood at JD2.8 billion. This, indeed, reflects a very impressive increase in the number of tourists to the country that must be protected and promoted even more.

The MoTA also revealed that November witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of incoming tourists, when 86,320 tourists, mostly Europeans, followed by Asians, North Americans and Africans, entered the country. In 2017, the number of tourists for the same month was 61,620, which means that there has been a rise in the number of tourists for the same period! This also means that Jordan is doing something right.

The biggest tourist attractions in Jordan could be classified in the following order: Great and exotic touristic sites, especially Petra, outstanding safety and security and warm hospitality by Jordanians. 

Still, Jordan can do more, a lot more to be exact.

Scenes of long rows of tourists at the airport, waiting to process their entry into the country need another look. Visa processing must be made simpler, faster and less expensive. It is self-defeating to impose high fees for entry visas, which gives the wrong impression about the country and should be, therefore, reduced dramatically.

Tourist sites should be made more tourist friendly, including by improving the availability of clean and budget-friendly restaurants, clean toilets and an increase in the number of well-trained tourist guides.

Attempts must also be made to make the duration of the stay of tourists in the country longer and happier, by offering supplementary attractions to them in order to make their stay longer and more enjoyable.

As the MoTA has become a prime earner of hard currency for the country, its budget needs to be increased meaningfully. The tourism industry deserves more public and private investments across the board, including by making MoTA more professionally capable of lending support to it.