Expatriate remittances increase by 2.8% in 2024 — CBJ

AMMAN — Remittances from Jordanian expatriates are increased by 2.8 per cent in 2024, reaching a total of $3.6 billion, up from $3.5 billion in 2023, preliminary data released by the Central Bank of Jordan showed on Thursday.

The figures also showed that remittances in December alone increased by 1.3 per cent, reaching $330.2 million, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Remittances of Jordanians abroad are considered among the CBJ’s most important sources of foreign currency, which also include tourism revenues, returns of national exports and foreign loans and grants.

During a recent meeting with the Lower House Tourism Committee to discuss the ministry’s 2024 achievements and the challenges facing the sector, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Lina Annab revealed a decline in tourism revenue and visitor numbers in 2024 compared to 2023.

During the meeting, Annab highlighted that 2023 was a "record-breaking" year for Jordanian tourism, adding that in 2024, tourism revenue fell by 2.3 per cent to JD5.132 billion compared to JD5.25 billion in 2023.

Also, the number of visitors dropped by 3.9 per cent, reaching 6.108 million in 2024 compared to 6.353 million in 2023.

The tourism sector faced significant setbacks in 2024 due to regional shocks, including the Israeli war on Gaza, whose ripple effects impacted Jordan's tourism industry. This downturn came after the sector experienced "peak success and performance" in 2023.